The Secrets Within 1: Secrets In Her Smile
by xX-Star Sapphire-Xx
Summary: Two lives were in danger and he was going to do whatever he can to save them. But saving two friends from something much larger than he imagined was a much bigger task than he planned... OC
1. Prologue: Near Death Experiences

**This is the first installment to _The Secrets Within_ series.  
This story is a remake of the story _Secrets and Scares_.**

**Summary: **Rukia wasn't the only one who was taken to the Soul Society that night she was found. A student at Karakura High, and also a friend of Ichigo's, named Kana was unwillingly taken. Ichigo and his friends now must save Rukia from execution and discover the secret Kana hides within.

**Warnings:** Violence

**Disclaimer:** I, xX-Star Sapphire-Xx, do not own anything relating to BLEACH. This means anything relating to the anime, the manga, characters, plot, etc. Tite Kubo owns all rights to BLEACH. I only own my original character that I have implanted into Kubo's piece of work.

**Author's Note:** This is a rewrite of Secrets and Souls.

* * *

**Prologue: Near Death Experiences**  
"_To die will be an awfully big adventure."__  
- Peter Pan_

Having a near death experience was looked at as a miracle to some people. Getting into a major car accident, falling out of a tree, and being a survivor of cancer were just a few experiences people find interest in hearing later in life, but when the experience was actually happening, it was the most terrifying thing in the world. Being moments away from death wasn't something to be excited about, especially when there was a cool blade sitting right against your throat.

That was her predicament at the moment, and she couldn't do anything about it. Feeling the hard edge against her throat made her want to hold her breath, scream, cry, and puke all at the same time. With one slice she could be gone forever, never to see what she could be in the future. She had a lot of dreams like most high school students did. She thought of becoming a teacher, a doctor, and much more, but now she wasn't sure if she had the chance to make that final choice.

She could see two familiar faces many feet away, just staring at her not knowing what to do. They looked dumbfounded and stuck, just like she was. This situation literally was a decision between life or death. Between theirs and hers... She selfishly wished her life was spared not only because it was an instinct but because she truly didn't want to die. She didn't want to anyone else to die in her place, but she didn't want to die either. She had so much more to experience, to see, to hear, to say, to feel... She was most definitely not ready to die.

But looking back at the duo before her, she knew that someone wasn't going to see the end of the battle, and she had a bad feeling that it was going to be her.


	2. Chapter 1: School Day

_**Secrets In Her Smile**_

_This is the first installment to The Secrets Within series.  
This story is a remake of the story Secrets and Scares._

**Summary: **Rukia wasn't the only one who was taken to the Soul Society that night she was found. A student at Karakura High, and also a friend of Ichigo's, named Kana was unwillingly taken. Ichigo and his friends now must save Rukia from execution and discover the secret Kana hides within.

**Warnings:** Violence

**Disclaimer:** I, xX-Star Sapphire-Xx, do not own anything relating to BLEACH. This means anything relating to the anime, the manga, characters, plot, etc. Tite Kubo owns all rights to BLEACH. I only own my original character that I have implanted into Kubo's piece of work.

**Author's Note:** Apparently I put "Secrets and Souls" in the last chapter instead of Secrets and Scares, but I'm sure you know what I meant if you have read the original. Sorry if I confused anyone.

* * *

**Chapter One: School Day**  
"_What is algebra exactly; is it those three-cornered thing?_"  
-James M. Barrie

Ichigo Kurosaki's life was far from what someone would call normal. On the outside, he was an average-looking teenager (except for his bright orange hair) who went to a normal, plain high school, which was his current destination. He was very close to his two younger sisters and his father. He was able to have a group of good friends, even with his scary, scowling face. These facts were not what separated Ichigo from the "normal" crowd.

Having the ability to see the undead had something to do with it. Ever since Ichigo could remember, he could see ghosts. Having this ability was part of the reason Ichigo's mother was no longer with him. This ability was also the reason why a hollow (an evil spirit) attacked his family a few months ago. To save them, an injured soul reaper named Rukia Kuchiki transferred her powers to Ichigo. Ichigo became a substitute soul reaper at that moment and continued to be one until Rukia gained her powers back (which didn't seem to be happening anytime soon).

Ichigo's mind went back to that night Rukia came into his life. If she wasn't there, Ichigo's family probably wouldn't be alive. Ichigo himself probably wouldn't be alive either. If Rukia hadn't transferred her powers, Ichigo's friends would have also been dead. Without her, Ichigo would still feel the guilt of his mother's death, believing he was the reason she died. Ichigo owed Rukia so much, and he had no idea how to repay her. For now, being a substitute soul reaper and helping the defenseless until she regained her powers was all he could think of doing, even though helping people in trouble was already in his nature.

"Ichigo!"

The orange-haired teenager stopped walking and turned his body slightly to see the owner of the voice. He saw a girl much shorter than he was (a few inches taller than Rukia) running towards him. She had thick, blonde hair that she had in two low pigtails hanging over her shoulders tied with white ribbons. She had bangs that she often swept them to the right side of her face. Her eyes were big and blue, complementing her innocent and carefree aura she carried with her. Lastly, she wore the girls' uniform for Karakura Public High School. She, like many girls, altered her uniform slightly. She did not wear the large red ribbon the girls were suppose to wear around their necks, and she rolled her sleeves up, revealing her shoulders.

"What are you doing here, Kana?" Ichigo wasn't being rude, though others may believe he was. He was wondering why she was there considering she lived on the other side of town.

"Can't I walk to school with a friend?" she asked with a smile after running up to him. She was breathing slightly heavily to catch her breath.

Ichigo only sighed, knowing she had run out of excuses. Kana usually found reasons to walk with Ichigo to and from school. Usually, Ichigo didn't care, especially when Mizuiro would walk with them. When he did, Mizuiro would end up having a conversation with Kana, which was good for Ichigo when he was in a bad mood.

Recently, Kana was more clingy than usual. For the last couple weeks, she would find him in the mornings everyday and also after school. When Ichigo had cleaning duty at the end of the day, Kana either helped him out or waited until he was done. She also came up with the dumbest excuses like "I wanted to take a walk before school" and "I wanted to say hello to your family. I haven't seen them in a while". Ichigo wasn't sure what her problem was, but rumors were starting to spread around the school about he and Kana dating.

"I have something I want to give you," Kana said, noticing Ichigo wasn't going to say anything to her. She opened up her school bag and pulled out a small, plastic container. She held the container out for Ichigo to take. "They're brownies. My mom and I made them last night and I wanted you to have some."

_So that's her excuse for today,_ Ichigo thought as he took the container from her. He placed it in his schoolbag before putting the bag back over his shoulder.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. I hope you like them."

Silence overcame the two. Ichigo was beginning to feeling awkward that he and Kana were just standing around saying nothing, especially since they had to be at school within the half hour. What made the moment more awkward was Kana's continuous smile. It wouldn't have bothered Ichigo so much if he knew she wasn't faking it. Though he was sure at that moment Kana had a genuine smile, Ichigo knew that she wasn't always as happy as she let on.

"How's your girlfriend?" Ichigo didn't hold back his glare as he scowled at Kana. Her smile only widened in response. If Kana had been somebody else, Ichigo was sure he would hit her.

After spending so much time with Rukia to slay hollows, Ichigo was bombarded with questions about his relationship with the new girl. He was sick and tired of explaining that the two weren't dating. Explaining didn't help him any considering the rumors spread around the school before Ichigo could speak of the matter. In the end, Ichigo didn't care if others thought he and Rukia were dating. He knew it was false, and there was no point in trying to fix things if no one was going to listen. The only time the rumor bothered him was when people questioned him about it, just like Kana had.

"Relax, Ichigo," Kana told him, letting out a soft laugh. "I was only joking."

"Yeah, I know." Ichigo sighed and started to walk down the street. "Let's go before we're late to class."

Kana happily followed along, not saying a word. Neither of them spoke as they walked towards their high school. Ichigo was never one to start a conversation unless he had a question to ask. Kana, on the other hand, liked to talk. She could strike up a discussion in a silent classroom and eventually, the whole class would be talking. Ichigo wasn't sure if she didn't like the awkwardness silence sometimes brought so she felt like she had to talk. This was not the case, though. She seemed to be content with the silence while they walked.

She must have lost that content feeling because a few minutes later, Kana said, "In a way, you and Rukia not dating is a good thing."

Ichigo showed no curiosity in Kana's sudden statement. He could already hear what Kana was going to say next. She may not be the most predictable person, but the conversation was predictable to see when started like that.

"Now all your secret admirers can still have a chance."

"Like I care," was Ichigo's response. He didn't care what people thought about him. Besides, he didn't have those kinds of feelings for anyone, let alone have time for that kind of relationship with a girl. He only had three friends of the female population that didn't include his two sisters.

Tatsuki was a childhood friend of Ichigo's. They were friends since Ichigo began taking classes at the dojo as a child. There was no doubt Tatsuki was one of Ichigo's first real friend. Orihime was best friends with Tatsuki, which was how Ichigo knew her. He didn't talk to her much, even when they're in the same class, but he still considered her a friend since she was a good friend of Tatsuki's. Then finally, there was Kana who practically forced a friendship from him. He didn't mind her forcefulness since she wasn't nearly as annoying as some of his friends at school.

"You're not even the slightest bit curious who has a crush on you?" Kana asked, just as the two arrived at Karakura High School.

"No."

"Not even a tiny bit?"

"No."

"You're such a strange guy," Kana commented, a bit upset that Ichigo showed no interest. What did she expect though? Ichigo wasn't into any of the gossip at school. He especially didn't care for topics on "love". That was something Kana should talk to her girl friends about; not Ichigo. "Most guys want to know who has a crush on them."

"Well, I'm not like that."

"That's true." Ichigo didn't have to look at Kana to know she was still holding that smile. He couldn't understand how someone could smile so much. Sometimes, it annoyed Ichigo like no other because he knew that no one was that happy all the time. Even so, Kana wouldn't exactly be Kana if she didn't have that smile plastered to her face. Ichigo would be worried if he found her frowning.

"You are definitely not like most guys." This startled Ichigo. He didn't have long to think about what Kana said because by this time, the two arrived at the classroom. Kana opened the door, before Ichigo had the chance to, and walked over to a friend of hers. "Good morning, Michiru. Can I see your math homework? I wanna see how I did."

"So weird," was all Ichigo could say about Kana at that moment. He didn't take long to contemplate what just happened. He thought the comment was unusual, but that's all he thought. He wouldn't think about it anymore than that, not that his friend Keigo Asano would have left him alone long enough to do so.

"Way to go, Ichigo!" the long-haired boy exclaimed as he pat Ichigo encouragingly on the back. "You're just on a roll this year!"

"With what?"

"With the girls, of course!" This topic again? It looked like Ichigo was not going to get a break from it. "First, you start hanging out with the cute, new girl Rukia Kuchiki and now you're walking to school everyday with the adorable Kana Mitsuya. How do you do it?"

"I don't do anything. They find me. Not the other way around," Ichigo said, getting annoyed by Keigo's persistence. Keigo always had one thing on his mind, so Ichigo wasn't surprised by his friend's actions. That didn't mean Ichigo didn't get sick of Keigo's obsession.

"Kana, how did you get these answers?" a girl's voice screamed out with worry, catching Ichigo's attention. He saw Michiru looking at a piece of paper while Kana was red-faced, embarrassed by her friend's reaction. "These aren't even the right formulas."

"I told you I'm bad at math," Kana explained in a soft tone, seeming embarrassed by Michiru's outburst.

That was true, Kana was horrible at math. Ichigo remember when forced him to help her study one night because she was afraid of failing a test the following day. He spend hours teaching Kana basic algebra, telling her all about the variables and graphs, and she learned absolutely nothing from it. She actually ended up more confused than before.

"It's okay. There's still time before class starts. We can fix this," the brunette said as she set the paper on the desk and began erasing.

"Ichigo, are you even listening?"

The orange-haired teenager looked over at his friend questionably. Keigo was talking to him still? Ichigo wasn't surprised, but he didn't even hear his friend speak. "You say something?"

Keigo looked hurt by this. Ichigo was sure his friend was going to freak out and cry about how much he doesn't pay attention to him. It took Ichigo by surprised when Keigo looked in the direction of Kana and then looked back at him with a sly smirk.

"I see now," Keigo said, while slinging an arm around Ichigo's shoulders. Ichigo only stared in confusion, not seeing where Keigo was going with this. "You have a crush on Kana. You don't have to deny it anymo-ow!"

"There's no way I have a crush on Kana," Ichigo stated as he dropped his fist and got out of Keigo's grasp.

"Oh, that's good then," the girl-crazed boy said with a relieving sigh. "That means I still have my chance!"

Since the start of high school, Keigo had a big crush on Kana. That wasn't saying much because Keigo had a crush on everyone of the female population, especially ones with very curvy figures. Ichigo was sure that because Kana didn't have that certain physique that Keigo would pay no attention to her, but Kana said that she thought Keigo was cute. Because of that, Keigo fell in love.

"Yeah, like she'd date you," Ichigo commented. As Keigo began ranting all the reasons why Kana would date him, Ichigo heard footsteps in the hallway that stopped right at the classroom. Thinking that someone was in his class, he stepped to the side and looked at the male student.

"Um, is Kana Mitsuya in this class?" the visitor asked, a bit startled by Ichigo's presence.

"Yeah, she's right over there," Keigo answered, a little too loudly. He caused everyone to stop what they were doing and stare at him. "Want me to go get her for you?"

The newcomer began to blush at the attention and shook his head quickly. "Oh no. You don't have to do that!"

"Then what are you doing here if you're not gonna talk to her?" Ichigo questioned, scaring the poor boy even more. He wasn't trying to be rude, but with the reputation he had, it was hard to not have people be scared of him.

"Oh-Well, um..." The boy cleared his voice and straightened his posture. Ichigo raised an eyebrow while Keigo gave the visitor a strange look. Was the guy trying to impress them?

With his new courage, the boy pulled a small envelope out of his pocked and held it out towards Ichigo and Keigo. "Can you please give this to Kana?"

Keigo wasn't the only one who had a crush on Kana Mitsuya. Ichigo wasn't exactly sure why she was so popular. She was nice to everyone, but she wasn't exactly the best looking girl in school, and she wasn't very good in academics. If someone would ask Ichigo, he would say Kana was pretty average; not too pretty, but not too ugly. If Ichigo had to guess, he would think guys were attracted to her because of her mixed background.

"Sure, I can do that for you," Keigo said as he took the envelope away from the guy. "I'll make sure it goes straight to Kana. Don't you worry. She'll- Hey!"

"I'll give it to her." Ichigo snatched the letter from his friend's hand. He knew that if Keigo had the letter, it would never reach Kana.

The boy gave his thanks and walked back to his own classroom. Keigo whined with his crocodile tears, crying about how Ichigo wouldn't help him in his battle to win over Kana's heart. Ichigo ignored his friend's plea for help and walked over to Kana.

"Hey, some guy dropped this off for you."

Kana looked up from her homework and spotted the letter in Ichigo's hand. She immediately knew what it was and politely took the envelope.

"Thanks, Ichigo."

"Yeah, no problem," the orange-haired teen said and walked over to his own desk to get ready for homeroom.

The moment Ichigo left Kana's side, all of Kana's girl friends circled around her, wondering what the letter said. Ichigo couldn't understand what was so exciting about it, then again, he wasn't a girl. Seeing the girls giggling response at the letter, he was happy he wasn't.

"Who's Arata Kano?"

"He's the cute guy from the next class over."

"You mean the new ace pitcher on the baseball team?"

"Yeah, I've heard of him! Kana, you are so lucky!"

Ichigo saw Kana's face turn a bright pink. He knew she was getting embarrassed by all her friends fawning over the letter. Kana wasn't the type to announce her status and problems. She usually kept her business to herself, but Ichigo could see Kana was liking the attention she was receiving.

"Hey, Ichigo?" a girl interrupted Ichigo's thoughts. Ichigo looked over and found Rukia Kuchiki standing next to his desk, staring at the group of giggling girls. "What are they laughing about?"

"Kana got a love letter," he told her, forgetting Rukia knew nothing about the gossip of high school. When he saw her confusion, he continued, "It's a letter a boy or a girl gives to their crush to tell them how they feel. Usually, they'll set a meeting place so the person can say their feelings to their crush in person. That's probably what Kana's gonna do after school. She'll meet up with the guy, reject him, and continue life like nothing happened."

"Does the person who writes the letter usually get rejected?" Rukia asked, still not completely understanding the concept. "It's pretty pointless to write a love letter if you know you're going to get rejected."

"No, not everyone gets rejected. Some people start dating," Ichigo explained. "Kana gets a lot of confessions because of her mixed background. And every time she gets a confession, she rejects them."

"Why does she do that?"

"I don't know. Why don't you ask her?" Ichigo said to his soul reaper friend. He meant for the question to be rhetorical. He was definitely not expecting Rukia to answer.

"Okay. I will."

Ichigo sighed, not understanding why Rukia was suddenly interested in Kana's personal life. "Go ahead. She'll probably just tell you she doesn't like any of the guys who like her."

Rukia looked like she was ready to respond back, but the homeroom teacher entered the room. The rest of the students hurried to their seats and prepared for the rest of the school day.

* * *

**Author's Note: **And that's the end of that. Kind of a suck-ish way to end, sorry about that. I was going to continue on, but then the chapter would be too long and the story would move too fast and yada yada.

I now have a twitter account. I've had it since the beginning of summer, but barely went on it because, well, I had no followers. So follow me andmaybe you'll get hints or sneak peaks of the next chapter. Here's my name: **write4lifex**

So now go stalk me on twitter. :)

Oh, and review. I really like reviews. :)


	3. Chapter 2: Clueless

_**Secrets In Her Smile**_

_This is the first installment to The Secrets Within series.  
This story is a remake of the story Secrets and Scares._

**Summary: **Rukia wasn't the only one who was taken to the Soul Society that night she was found. A student at Karakura High, and also a friend of Ichigo's, named Kana was unwillingly taken. Ichigo and his friends now must save Rukia from execution and discover the secret Kana hides within.

**Warnings:** Violence

**Disclaimer:** I, xX-Star Sapphire-Xx, do not own anything relating to BLEACH. This means anything relating to the anime, the manga, characters, plot, etc. Tite Kubo owns all rights to BLEACH. I only own my original character that I have implanted into Kubo's piece of work.

**Author's Note:** Apparently I put "Secrets and Souls" in the last chapter instead of Secrets and Scares, but I'm sure you know what I meant if you have read the original. Sorry if I confused anyone.

* * *

**Chapter Two: Clueless  
**"_He looks around the room  
Innocently overlooks the truth  
Shouldn't a light go on?  
Doesn't he know I've had him memorized for so long? _"  
-Taylor Swift

So maybe inviting Uryū to eat lunch was a bad idea...

Not only was the four-eyed nerd not appreciative by Ichigo's thoughtful invitation to eat on the roof with him and his friends, he also believed Ichigo was doing this out of pity. Ichigo never did things out of pity. He invited Uryū to eat lunch with him because the guy always ate by himself. Besides, the orange-haired teenager felt responsible for Uryū's injuries. See, that wasn't pity. It was guilt.

Rukia said before that he shouldn't feel guilty about Uryū's wounded arms, but Ichigo couldn't help it. It was he who couldn't control his spiritual pressure after making a Menos Grande retreat back into Las Noches. Sure, he now knew he should have worked together with Uryū to defeat the monster instead of fighting it on his own (though he will never learn his lesson), and it was because of that he needed his nerdy classmate's help. After that happened the day before, Ichigo couldn't help but feel guilty about what happened.

"Hey, Ichigo, why did you invite me to lunch?" Uryū spoke up just as Keigo began telling a story. It was obvious surprised by Ichigo's invite along with everyone else. "If it's because you're feeling responsible for my injuries, you're wrong, and you're wasting your time. I don't want you're pity, and I certainly don't want your friendship."

Uryū definitely knew how to put things rather bluntly. Ichigo didn't think he was that easy of a person to read. Apparently he wasn't that easy to read since Uryū believed his actions were out of pity and friendship. Because of this, Ichigo never answered the four-eyed student. He did, however, respond back.

"Eat your lunch and shut up. I just felt like it. That's all." Ichigo could be pretty blunt as well. Besides, there was no way he was revealing his true motives to his invitation. He had too much pride. "It certainly had nothing to do with sympathy or because I like you. Consider yourself lucky to not be eating alone."

"Oh, I'm suppose to be grateful here?" Uryū retorted back after taking another bite of his lunch. "You have a lot of nerve especially since I prefer eating alone."

"I prefer eating alone, too, so why don't you just look the other way?"

"Why don't you look away?" Uryū snapped. Anyone could see he was getting annoyed by Ichigo's calm annoyance. "This whole thing was you're idea in the first place."

_Yeah, and I wish I would've kept my mouth shut._ Ichigo took another bit out of his lunch, calming himself down before wanting to hit the nerdy student. He was so caught up, he didn't even realize his friend Mizuiro was watching the whole scene closely.

"Look! I see the girls!"

Ichigo sighed at Keigo's excitement. Mizuiro apparently had the same reaction because he tried to explain to Keigo how the girls in their class sit there every day. He was only interrupted with more of Keigo's screams, not that it surprised anyone sitting with the group.

"And look! Kana's waving!"

Keigo wrapped an arm around Ichigo's neck and dragged him to the fence in the direction of the girls. The brown-haired boy was correct, Kana Mitsuya was definitely waving at them with that same smile she always held brightly. Actions like these make Ichigo wonder how he ever became friends with Kana in the first place.

"Don't you see, Ichigo? Kana's waving at me-OW!"

**.: - :.**

"Poor Keigo. That looked like it hurt."

"It's Keigo's own fault for dragging Ichigo like that. I'm surprised Ichigo let Keigo touch him for that long."

"That's true. Keigo's pretty dense when it comes to Ichigo. I don't know why since Ichigo does the same thing every time. It's not like he's unpredictable."

Rukia wasn't sure how to contribute to the girls' gossip so she just stayed silent and politely listened to what they had to say. She thought Ichigo's female classmates were strange, always talking about the "drama" that occurs around the school. Who was dating whom. Who back-stabbed whom. Who secretly loved whom. That was all Rukia got from these conversations and couldn't seem to grasp what made them so entertaining.

"If anything, say 'Poor, Kana'. She's the one that got ignored by Ichigo again."

Rukia first looked at Mahana, the girl with light brown hair who just made the comment, then looked at the girl who the comment was directed towards. Rukia definitely was not up to pace with teenaged girls, but she could definitely see the disappointment written on Kana's face when she saw Ichigo walk away from the fence and back to his lunch without so much as acknowledging her.

"She likes him after all."

Rukia almost spit out the juice she was currently drinking. Kana liked Ichigo? Rukia didn't understand. Ichigo was arrogant, cocky, short-tempered, the list could go on. Why would any girl, especially one as nice as Kana, have any kind of enjoyment to be near the boy? The only reason why she had to deal with Ichigo was because she lost all her soul reaper powers, and he was her unofficial replacement until she retrieved them back.

"Hey, Rukia?" The dark-haired soul reaper looked at the brunette who was speaking to her. "Do you like Ichigo, too?"

That time, she couldn't hold in her juice. "What?"

"I'll take that as a maybe. What exactly is your relationship with that guy?"

"Uh..." Rukia wasn't exactly expecting an interrogation with such a light subject. She could sense Kana's curious gaze, and that made her feel even more uncomfortable. "He's my friend."

"Mahana, you don't just ask that!" Michiru told her friend sternly.

"Why not? I just asked what everyone else wants to know." Mahana said, not understanding what the big deal was.

"Who said I wanted to know something like that?" the other girl responded, noticeably tensing up.

"I still wanna know!" Chizuru, the school lesbian, shouted out.

"What do you have against Ichigo anyway, Michiru?" Tatsuki questioned the girl after taking a bit out of her meal. Rukia could see that most of the girls she was sitting with didn't like Ichigo. She couldn't exactly blame them because of Ichigo's reputation, but Rukia never saw the girls converse with Ichigo before. She didn't see it fair to judge someone of what other people had said. Rukia was glad she wasn't the only one who saw that as well.

"It's not that I have something against him," Michiru stated uneasily as she played with her fingers. "There's something about his face that makes him look scary."

"Scary?" Orihime repeated with lightness in her tone. She grinned as she said, "I don't think there's anything scary about his face."

"Really, Orihime?"

This conversation definitely took a bad turn. Now the girls started gossiping about Ichigo and his permanent scowl on his face. The girls even asked her again about her relationship with Ichigo. Rukia, though she'd hate to admit, thought Ichigo was a good guy with a strong heart, but there was no way she would ever have strong feelings for him that go passed friendship. The conversation took a turn for the worse when Orihime started talking nonsense about everyone liking Ichigo.

"Hey, Kana, are you going to meet that Arata Kano guy after school today?"

Again, Rukia's interest was now peaked. She was still confused by the whole love letter thing. If a guy had a crush on a girl, why wouldn't he just say so? The whole school already knew what was gonna happen because Arata Kano gave Kana a letter to begin with. Rukia just couldn't grasp the confession idea that happened in the schools in the World of the Living.

"Yeah, that would be rude if I didn't," Kana said with a smile. Her comment made all the girls, excluding Rukia, giggle in delight.

"I can't believe he's going to ask you out," Michiru said in awe, going off into her own little world. "I wish I had guys asking me out."

"You would if you didn't read manga all the time," Tatsuki commented, making the brunette blush.

"So what are you going to tell him?" Mahana questioned, truly intrigued by the situation. By Kana's reaction, Rukia could see this isn't the first time Mahana had interrogated her as well. "Are you going to go out with him?"

"I'm not gonna tell you. It's not fair for Arata if I told you before I told him."

All the girls sighed in disappointment, though all seemingly not surprised by Kana's response. Rukia decided then was the perfect time to ask her question that Ichigo couldn't answer before.

"Why have you rejected the boys before?"

Kana was startled by Rukia's question. The black-haired girl wasn't sure if it was because she was the one that asked it or because she wasn't use to someone asking for her reasons.

Noticing a lack of response, Rukia said embarrassingly, "Sorry if that was too forward. I heard Ichigo say earlier that you usually reject them."

"No, it's, um... It's okay," Kana said, still a bit startled by the new girl. "I just don't like giving guys false hope. It's not fair to them. I wouldn't like it if a guy accepted my love without loving me in return. I would be more heartbroken because he didn't have the heart to tell me the truth than he would if he would just reject me on the spot."

"But we just went on a group date together with that school across town," Mahana stated slowly, sounding a bit suspicious, "and you left with a second year..."

Before any of the girls could respond, Kana turned a bright red color and held up her hands. "It's not what you think! We didn't do anything, I swear!"

And another round of questions began. Rukia smiled as the girls she was with started to playfully attacked Kana with questions about the date. She was happy to be there to get her mind off things because she knew she wasn't going to be around much longer.

**.: - :.**

Finally school came to an end. Ichigo, without bothering to wait up for anybody, gathered his things and left the school building. It was a long day and all he wanted was to go home and sleep. He also didn't want another "surprise" attack from his father for being out too late even though he knew he was probably going to get ambushed anyway.

"Ichigo!"

Recognizing the voice, Ichigo stopped and turned around. Rukia was running up to him in a hurry, which made Ichigo tense up. "What's wrong? A hollow?"

Rukia looked at him and then dropped her face to the ground. "No. Not that."

"Hm?" His worry didn't lessen as he watched Rukia's mood drastically change.

"Ichigo, are you feeling okay?"

"Oh, yeah." With how long his day had gone, he ended up forgetting about his battle with a Menos Grande the day before. He threw a couple of slow punches with his left arm before saying, "I feel great. But why are you asking?"

"No reason. I'm just glad you're okay."

"Is there going to be another one like yesterday?"

"If a Menos Grande appeared every day, we'd be in a lot of trouble," Rukia said, playing it off as a joke.

Ichigo watched Rukia carefully, wondering if she was going to speak anymore. When she didn't, he said, "You know you're, uh, acting a bit strange today. Did something happen?"

Rukia looked up at him, almost looking shocked at his question. He was confused by her reaction. Did she think he wouldn't notice how depressed she looked? He wasn't much good at reading people, but he definitely knew something was up with her.

She then looked like she wanted to say something, but couldn't find the words to do so. Ichigo waited patiently for her to speak. He heard a soft laughter that caught his attention and turned his head in the direction he heard it from. To his surprise, he saw Kana with the same guy he saw that morning with the letter. From the sound of it, she might have actually accepted.

"Is that what a confession looks like?" Rukia must have noticed he was no longer paying attention. He didn't need to answer for her to know what she was looking at.

The boy Kana was with, Arata, looked at Ichigo then said something inaudible to Kana. The blonde then looked at Ichigo and her smile widened. Ichigo wondered what the hell she was doing, giving him attention when she was in the middle of listening to some guy professing his love to her. Then she waved, making Ichigo wonder what was going on inside that little head of hers. He sheepishly waved back.

"Ichigo, there's something I think I should tell you about Kana."

"What is it?" Ichigo asked, still not looking away from the duo fifty feet away. He wished he had turned away from them. Why?

At that moment, the Arata kid leaned down and gave the blonde girl a kiss on the cheek. Ichigo's eyes widened at the sight and quicky looked away. He looked back at Rukia who looked more surprised than he did at the baseball player's bold move.

"So, uh..." the teen began, wanting the image to get out of his brain, "what was it you wanted to tell me?"

Rukia hesitated before she answered, "Nothing. Nothing at all."

* * *

**Author's Note:** You know, originally, that was not how I was going to end it. I didn't want drama already started right at the start of the series, but it will make sense in the next chapter. :D The chapter is a lot shorter than I planned too, but oh well. And I apologize for any/all grammar mistakes. I just kind of wrote and then posted this up. I thought that it has been too long since I last posted a chapter.

Don't forget. I have a twitter: **write4lifex**  
Hints of next chapters, upcoming stories, and other random stuff will be known. :)

And you can't forget to review. :D

**Edit 1/15/11:** Fixed some grammar errors and edited some of the writing. I didn't like how I wrote the end. I first had Kana kiss Arata on the cheek, but I thought it was too much to fast so I switched the receiver of the kiss to Kana.  
**Edit 8/8/11:** Fixed Arata Kano's sport from soccer to baseball. I accidently made him a soccer player in this chapter and an ace pitcher in the last one. I apologize for the confusion.


	4. Chapter 3: Found

_**Secrets In Her Smile**_

_This is the first installment to The Secrets Within series.  
This story is a remake of the story Secrets and Scares._

**Summary: **Rukia wasn't the only one who was taken to the Soul Society that night she was found. A student at Karakura High, and also a friend of Ichigo's, named Kana was unwillingly taken. Ichigo and his friends now must save Rukia from execution and discover the secret Kana hides within.

**Warnings:** Violence

**Disclaimer:** I, xX-Star Sapphire-Xx, do not own anything relating to BLEACH. This means anything relating to the anime, the manga, characters, plot, etc. Tite Kubo owns all rights to BLEACH. I only own my original character that I have implanted into Kubo's piece of work.

* * *

**Chapter Three: Found**  
"What was lost has now been found."  
-Unknown

"I hate math!" Kana stated as she stretched her arms up in the air. She didn't see the point in learning math passed the point of the simple things (like adding and subtracting). Learning about graphs and quadratic equations are just too complicated to understand. Who really needed to know the slope of a circle? Not Kana. She couldn't even think of a situation that would need such an equation.

Actually, Kana didn't really see the point of math, history, language, science, gym... Of course, this could be because Kana was not a very good student to begin with. Her grades were less than average, receiving mostly "C"s with the occasional "D"s and "B"s. Her grades weren't from her not studying though. Kana studied constantly. She blamed her home-school teacher she had as a child for her lack of knowledge a normal 15 year old teenager should know.

"School is so hard," she groaned and dropped her head on her math textbook. Sometimes, she believed that if it weren't for the friends she made, she wouldn't be in school. She struggled in school and didn't see the point to it with it except that she got to see her friends everyday.

Ichigo's face suddenly appeared in her mind and her face began to feel hot. She sat back up in her chair and covered her face with her hands. "No, stop thinking about him!"

Anyone who knew Kana knew of her huge crush on the bad boy of Karakura High School. Even students from different classes and years could see it, but Ichigo was completely clueless about it (along with Keigo). Kana wasn't exactly quiet about it either. She would openly flirt and be especially nice. She even went as far as to go out of her way to walk to and from school with him. Well, Kana had an ulterior motive to why she did so, but she got to spend more time with Ichigo which was a definite plus.

Arata Kano even noticed, yet he still had the courage to ask her out. Kana's face burnt, remembering her conversation with the boy.

"_I'm sorry. I like someone else," Kana said, feeling bad about hurting the baseball player's feelings. She didn't dare look away from his face, though._

"_I kinda figured." Arata Kano smiled, a smile that held no hard feelings for her rejection. "Anybody could see you have eyes for only one guy in this place."_

_He looked over towards the entrance of the school, and Kana followed his glance. She spotted Ichigo talking to Rukia and smiled. She noticed they were looking over their way as well, and she gave them a wave._

"_Yeah, it's too bad he's the only one who can't see that," Kana commented, smiling more brightly when Ichigo waved back. "I don't mind though. I'm happy just being his friend."_

"_Are you really okay with that?" Kana was shocked by the pitcher's question. "I mean, I'm sure you're happy to be his friend, but hasn't he been hanging out with that new girl? Aren't you jealous that he's spending so much time with her?"_

_Of course Kana was jealous. She would be lying if she said otherwise. Ichigo and Rukia both told her they were not dating. They wouldn't lie to her about something like that. There wouldn't be a reason to. That was what Kana kept telling herself anyway. _

"_I have to get going. I still have practice to get to. I wish you the best of luck."_

_Kana was about to say the same, but Arata shocked her by placing a kiss on her cheek. She immediately turned red._

"_Now it's his turn to be jealous."_

Kana squealed at the memory, placing both her hands over her ears and shaking her head in hopes of getting the thought out of her head. With Arata's sudden kiss, Kana wasn't even able to see Ichigo's reaction because she was so busy with her own. The kiss wouldn't have been that big of a deal to Kana had Ichigo not been just feet away staring in their direction. Kana felt embarrassed and upset about it because she didn't want Ichigo to get the wrong idea.

The blonde quickly got out of her chair and belly-flopped onto her bed. She dug her face into her pillow and screamed out "Stupid Arata!" which only came out as muffled yelling. Surprisingly enough, the screaming in the pillow thing actually made her feel better.

Kana's screaming stopped when she suddenly felt uncomfortable. She felt as if the walls were closing in on her, and she was starting to have a hard time breathing. The pressure was so strong against her body she felt like she couldn't move at all. Even so, she moved up from her bed and stared at her window. Something was going on, and it wasn't good.

"Is that Ichigo...?"

Her windows slid open, slamming against the frame. The noise made Kana jump and fall out of her bed. Her heart pounded in her chest as her mind told her to run. Her body agreed as she stumbled to her feet and rushed over to the door. One moment, the door was in sight, and the next, she ran right into a solid figure. She fell back on her backside, but her eyes never left the figure that now stood in front of her.

He was definitely a male with a stone, unreadable face wearing a shihakusho Kana was familiar with. In his long black hair, he work a headpiece that showed off his nobility. He also wore a white haori over his clothes and a white scarf was wrapped loosely around his neck. It didn't take long for Kana to recognize the man. She pushed herself across the floor as far away from the man as possible.

"Pretend you didn't see me. Please!" Kana cried out, tears starting to form in her eyes. Her back hit her bed, and she stopped moving. She hugged her knees to her chest and screamed out for help. "Ki-!"

Before she was able to finish, Kana was no longer in her bedroom. She couldn't recognize exactly where she was in the dark, but she could tell she was still in Karakura. She looked around and saw no one around. That was until she looked up and spotted Ichigo in the air, swinging his blade down at a red-headed soul reaper. Kana gasped and looked away, not able to watch the scene that was about to unfold.

When Kana heard gasps instead of clashing of blades, she looked back and saw Ichigo standing there looking at his zanpakuto. It's blade was gone, and Kana knew where it went without having to look. If she wasn't scared before, she definitely was now.

"Ichigo!" she screamed, making the boy look in her direction. He looked shocked to see her, but he looked even more startled when he found who had his blade. Kana wanted to warn him. She wanted him to run. He had know idea who he was up against. Kana knew Ichigo was going to die.

Before Kana could get a word out, the dark-haired noble appeared a few feet behind Ichigo. It was like he just walked passed the teenager without giving him a second glance, but Kana knew that wasn't what happened. Her suspicions were correct when blood spilled out of Ichigo's body.

"Ichigo!" Kana screamed again, but this time in pure terror. Without a second thought she stood up and ran over to him. She was so focused on Ichigo, she didn't even see Rukia trying to do the same but the red-haired man pushed her back and pinned her to a pole.

When Kana reached Ichigo, his blood was already pouring onto the street. Tears fell as she knelt down next to the teen and tried to figure out a way to stop the bleeding. Kana was starting to get sick to her stomach, seeing all the blood, and the smell wasn't helping much either. She had to do her best to ignore it though. Her main objective was to save Ichigo.

"Ichigo, please, wake up," Kana told him as she used her hands to put pressure on the wound on his back. "You can't die."

A conversation between Rukia and the other two men were happening, but Kana couldn't think (let alone listen) about anything else other than Ichigo. She was still trying to stop the bleeding, but she felt like she wasn't doing a thing. Blood was still coming out of his stab wound in his back, even with her hands there to stop it. He still had a slash on his chest that she couldn't reach. Kana felt completely useless.

"Please," Kana whispered, holding back a sob. She ended up crying anyway. "You have to save us." She felt like she was talking to a brick wall. She knew Ichigo wasn't going to respond. She knew he wasn't going to live much longer. She just didn't know what else to do.

Beneath her bloodied hands, Kana felt Ichigo's body tense. She stopped breathing, not believing what she was seeing. Ichigo was awake and still able to move. Ichigo reached out and grabbed the hem of the nobleman's clothes.

"'He's dead' you say. " Ichigo commented, lifted his head up. Kana wasn't sure how he was able to focus of the trio's conversation with how much pain he had to be in. "'He bares a striking resemblance to him.' I'd rather that you'd quit talking about me like I'm not even here, you got it?"

The nobleman glared. "Let go."

"Sorry, I couldn't hear you." Kana could see Ichigo's arm beginning to shake. She knew he had to be using the last of his strength. "Try looking at me when you talk."

"I see. It looks like you won't be needing that arm."

Kana stared at the man, then looked at Ichigo. The teen still looked so determined, and he didn't let go. As much as she liked Ichigo, she thought he was being stupid. She was sure Ichigo didn't understand the difference between a bluff and a threat.

Thankfully, Rukia ran over and kicked Ichigo's hand off.

"Rukia, what are you do-"

"You are just a human," she told him, hatred filling her voice. "You are just a lowly human. How dare you touch my brother like that? You better learn your place!"

Kana stared at Rukia, surprised by her actions and words. She and Ichigo were so close, Kana didn't understand how Rukia can suddenly act so cruel to Ichigo. Rukia told her brother they should go back to the Soul Society and then looked down at Ichigo. Tears were in her eyes, and Kana was able to understand the reason behind her actions.

_She's protecting him..._

A hand tightly gripped Kana's upper arm and pulled her away from Ichigo. "Kana, you're coming too."

"Let me go, Renji!" Kana screamed and tried to shake her way out of his grip. She looked at Ichigo who was staring back. She could see the questions building up in his head. She could also see the pain and the guilt... Just looking at his face hurt Kana more, making her cry even harder. "Let go! I have to-!"

"It's a lost cause, Kana. He's going to die. Stop moving!" said the red-headed soul reaper, the one she called Renji. He pulled her farther away from the teen, which only made Kana fight more.

"No! He can't die!" Kana still fought, even after Renji opened the gate to the Soul Society. She knew there was no point to try to get out of Renji's grasp. He was much stronger than she was. Kana just couldn't look away from Ichigo and how upset he looked before he passed out from the pain and blood loss. "You can't die!"

The door of the gate then closed, and the dying orange-haired bad boy was out of sight. Kana stopped moving and stared at the closed gate. She felt helpless before, but now she felt even worse. She sobbed into her hands, not knowing if Ichigo was going to live or die. She forgot about the blood on her hands until she opened her eyes. She looked at her hands and then at her clothes, which also had Ichigo's blood all over. She didn't realize how much blood was on her, and now she even had some on her face. Kana's stomach started churning, and she lost everything she had eaten that day.

"Shit, Kana!" Renji exclaimed, taking a step away.

Kana felt someone rubbing her back until she was done being sick. She looked and saw Rukia there with a sad smile on her face. Just by looking at her dark eyes, Kana could see Rukia was feeling the same thing she was.

"T-There's so much b-blood. I've n-never seen s-so much b-blood," Kana stuttered, lifting her shaking hands to show Rukia. "He's not going to make it."

Rukia's smile faltered, as if knowing what Kana said was true. Kana sobbed again and hugged Rukia.

As the four continued on, Kana could only think of Ichigo. She couldn't even think about what was waiting for her in the Soul Society. All Kana could think of was Ichigo dying right before her eyes, and she couldn't do a single thing about it.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I'm so sorry that I haven't updated in months. My hard drive crashed and it had all my information on this story. That includes the outline, chapters, and all that. Sorry again!  
I've been trying to make the chapters long, but it's not really working.. I stretched this chapter out as far as I couldn't without it ending in a weird spot. I guess I could have gone more descriptive with the conversation with Rukia, Ichigo, Renji, and Byakuya, but I did everything from Kana's point of view and her main focus was helping Ichigo. Plus, I didn't want to just rewrite the episode because I know how boring those are to read. I'll try my best to make the next chapter longer. :)  
I'm also apologizing for any spelling or grammar mistakes. I wrote this really fast, and I wanted to get it posted as soon as I could.  
I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	5. Chapter 4: Answers

_**Secrets In Her Smile**_

_This is the first installment to The Secrets Within series.  
This story is a remake of the story Secrets and Scares._

**Summary: **Rukia wasn't the only one who was taken to the Soul Society that night she was found. A student at Karakura High, and also a friend of Ichigo's, named Kana was unwillingly taken. Ichigo and his friends now must save Rukia from execution and discover the secret Kana hides within.

**Warnings:** Violence

**Disclaimer:** I, xX-Star Sapphire-Xx, do not own anything relating to BLEACH. This means anything relating to the anime, the manga, characters, plot, etc. Tite Kubo owns all rights to BLEACH. I only own my original character that I have implanted into Kubo's piece of work.

* * *

**Chapter Four: Answers  
**"In the book of life, answers aren't in the back."  
-Charlie Brown

"It... won't... come... off!" Kana screamed out in frustration and threw the washcloth across the bathroom. She stepped backwards until her back hit the wall. From there, she slid down until she was sitting on the ground. The whole time, her eyes never left her hands.

After Renji dropped her off at her old home in the rukon district, Kana raced to the bathroom to get out of her bloodied pajamas and clean the blood off her hands and face. She was in such a rush that she couldn't find the soap, so she was stuck with just using water and a washcloth. She used so much force to wash the blood off that she was causing herself pain.

Now Kana was crying on the bathroom floor in her robe. She wasn't only crying over her dirtied hands. She was also crying because she was found. She was brought back to the Soul Society, a place she avoided for a year. She was also crying because the blood stained on her hands belonged to a cherished friend. One who couldn't leave her mind. One who was moments away from taking his last breath. She carried the burden of not saving Ichigo when he needed her most, and that burden was evident on her small hands.

"Kana?" a voice called out to her. "Where are you?"

The blonde teenager didn't reply. No, she couldn't reply. She opened her mouth to talk, but only a sob came out. She was crying so hard she was beginning to have a hard time breathing. She brought her knees to her chest and tried to wipe the tears away. Kana didn't know what else to do.

Footsteps were heard coming towards the bathroom. They stopped in front of the door, and the door slid open. Kana didn't look over, too into her own thoughts to pay attention to anything around her. She did sense someone walking over and kneeling on the floor in front of her. She wasn't sure why, but she was startled when a hand grabbed her wrist. She opened her eyes and stared at the hand that held her wrist. She looked up and spotted a man with glasses studying her arm.

"I-I couldn't g-get it off..." Kana cried, rubbing her cheeks dry with her free hand.

The man in front of her gave her a sad smile and nodded his head. He stood up and walked away. He soon returned with a few items in his arms. After placing the items on the counter, he walked back over to Kana and helped her up.

"Let's get you cleaned up."

Kana nodded and followed him to the sink. She then let him see her arms and wash off her arms and face.

"You rubbed your left wrist raw. I'm going to have to put some ointment on it."

Kana nodded again. Her crying had calmed down, but she still couldn't talk. Having someone by her who cared for her helped. It still didn't keep the image of Ichigo's bloodied body out of her head. It also didn't stop the horrible feeling she was getting in the pit of her stomach.

"Are you okay?"

Kana shook her head no. She wasn't okay at all. After everything that happened that night, she couldn't be anywhere near all right. She didn't even know where to start with how many emotions were running through her head.

"Can you tell me what happened?"

She wanted to say no. Kana didn't want to reminisce on what happened a couple hours prior. She couldn't get the image of Ichigo's unconscious body in a pool of blood out of her head. She didn't want to remember the moments leading to and from that. She didn't want to go through that all over again.

"Kana?"

He was done cleaning her hands up and treating her wrist. He was now waiting patiently for her to answer. Kana knew he wasn't going to push her, but she knew he wasn't going to just drop it. Not after the scene she caused.

"There was so much blood," Kana whispered, looking away from him. Tears started to form once again in her eyes, and she tried to wipe them away. "I couldn't save him." Kana looked back up at the man, tears streaming down her face. "I couldn't save Ichigo!"

Kana rushed forward, gripped onto his haori and cried into his chest. She felt a arms wrap around her in a comforting manner. The man just held her until her crying calmed down. Kana was so thankful he was there. He always knew just how to help her.

"Kana," he said in a soft tone after she calmed down. "Ichigo will be fine. I'm sure of it."

Kana looked up and stared at the man's dark brown eyes. She couldn't help but believe what he said, even when he had no idea who Ichigo was or what his condition was. Having that little bit of hope helped Kana believe Ichigo would be all right.

"Thank you, Uncle."

.: - :.

Thanks to Kisuke and Tessai, Ichigo was well enough to go to school two days after that night. Ichigo was grateful that they helped him, but he felt guilty for not stopping those guys from taking Rukia and Kana. All he could do was sit there and watch them take the girls away. Granted, he was on the verge of dying, but that didn't stop Ichigo from thinking he could have done something.

What bothered Ichigo was how Kana got involved. He understood why Rukia was taken away. That was obvious. It was the fact they took Kana away, too, that bothered him. Why would the Soul Society want Kana? Was she a soul reaper, too? Ichigo tried asking Kisuke, but all the shop keeper said was to make Rukia a priority, that Kana was fine and safe. His reply only made Ichigo more frustrated with the situation.

If Kana was "fine and safe", why was she taken unwillingly to the Soul Society? Why did she look terrified as that Abarai guy was dragging her away? Kisuke told him Kana was just worried about him. He also said that Kana was fearing for Ichigo's life. She didn't want him to die. For some reason, Ichigo only believed that to be half true. He knew Kana was worried about him, but that didn't explain why Kana was brought there in the first place.

In a split second, Kana suddenly appeared next to Rukia's brother. There was no way she ran all the way from her home across town to get there in the middle of the night. Nothing was making sense, and Ichigo was getting pissed he wasn't getting answers.

What made it worse was school. Nobody remembered Rukia. Ichigo wasn't surprised by that. He guessed the Soul Society erased everyone's memories of her. That made sense. What didn't make sense was everyone still remembered Kana. Why delete everyone's memories of Rukia but not of Kana? Wasn't she part of the Soul Society too? Her friends were all wondering where she was. It wasn't until the teacher finally told the class that Kana left for vacation early. Ichigo knew that was a lie, but he couldn't tell everyone where she really went.

Orihime finally approached him after school, asking why everyone doesn't remember Rukia. This shocked Ichigo, but he was happy he wasn't the only one who remembered Rukia was there. Talking to Orihime about Kana and Rukia only motivated him more that he had to bring them back.

Ichigo went home first to change out of his school uniform and into something more casual. He told his family he was going on a summer vacation with a group of his friends, and then he left for Kisuke Urahara's shop. When he got there, Ichigo tried to get his curiosity about Kana a minimum in his thoughts. He had to focus on his training so he could save Rukia and Kana.

The orange-haired teen was surprised when Kisuke led him to an empty room. The room had a table with tea on it and a couple seat cushions to sit on. Kisuke sat on one of the cushions and gestured for Ichigo to sit as well. Wasn't Ichigo suppose to be training? Why was Mr. Hat-N-Clogs wasting Ichigo's limited training time to drink tea? What was the shop keeper thinking?

"You want to know about Kana, right?" Kisuke spoke after Ichigo sat down. He noticed Ichigo's questionable gaze. "This won't take too long. You don't need to worry about the training at the moment."

"Okay." Ichigo wasn't going to argue. He wanted answers, but he wasn't sure what he wanted to ask first. Should he ask why she was taken away? If she was a soul reaper? If "Kana" was really her name? Ichigo had no idea where to start.

"Kana's past is pretty complicated," Kisuke stated, noticing Ichigo struggling with his thoughts. "Long story short, Kana's mother was a soul reaper while her father was human. After her father died-"

"Wait, her dad's dead?" Ichigo was surprised hearing this. Kana rarely talked about her dad, but when she did, she always mentioned how free spirited he was. She never said anything about her father being dead. "She never told me."

"Don't take it personally. Kana didn't tell anyone. She technically was in hiding, so she was probably afraid if she let out too much of her personal information, someone would find her." When Ichigo stayed silent, Kisuke decided to continue Kana's story. "After her father died, Sayaka-"

"Sayaka?"

"Oh, that was Kana's mother. Anyway, Sayaka took Kana to the Soul Society where they lived adequately for a few years. Then after Sayaka died, Kana was put under the care of her uncle..."

Kisuke's voice faded as Kana's voice whispered through Ichigo's mind.

"_They're brownies. My mom and I made them last night and I wanted you to have some."_

"It wasn't until last summer when she arrived on my doorstep asking for a place to stay. Kana wouldn't tell me anything except that she didn't want to live in the Soul Society. From her emotional state, I assumed she was running away. My suspicions were correct when she asked me to help her hide her spiritual pressure. That and she changed her name when she went to school... Ichigo, are you listening?"

Ichigo didn't realize how dazed he must have looked until that moment. He couldn't pay much attention to what Kisuke was saying anyway. All Ichigo could think about was what he truly knew about Kana. What all did she change about herself to hide from the Soul Society? Was the Kana he became friends with one year ago the same Kana she was all her life? Ichigo wasn't sure anymore.

"Yeah."

Ichigo didn't miss the look of concern Kisuke had. "Do you have any questions?"

The teenager thought over everything he was able to catch and many more questions formed in his head. He wasn't sure what to ask first, so he asked the first question that popped into his head. "What was she running away from?"

"I don't know," Kisuke answered honestly. Ichigo didn't think the shopkeeper would know the answer. "When she arrived, she told me she didn't like living there anymore, but it didn't take long for me to notice that wasn't really why she was here. I would ask her occasionally about it, but she always denied it. She usually changed the topic, talking about this boy in her class with unusually high spiritual pressure. She followed him around like a little lost puppy, but I'm sure that sounds familiar to you."

Ichigo almost wanted to hit Kisuke with that comment. That smile the blond wore didn't help either. Ichigo wasn't surprised that Kisuke would still find a way to tease him, though.

"If we're done here-"

"Wait, I have one more question," Ichigo interrupted, and Kisuke, who was just about to stand up, waited patiently for the teenager. "What's her real name?"

Kisuke smirked. "The name she was born with is Kaethe Nachtigal. Her named changed when she and Sayaka moved to the Soul Society. She was known in the Soul Society as Kana. Kana Aizen."

**Author's Note: **Thanks for reading! I tried to make this chapter much longer. I hope you guys enjoyed it. :)  
I've decided that every so often, I'm going to be posting up a chapter that will not be going along with this series. I'm calling them "specials" because they're about Kana's past. There's a lot about Kana I can't just suddenly bring up in a chapter (such as Kana's father being 100 percent german), so I thought making these chapters will explain those extra details I can't reveal within the original storyline. Plus, I really want to tell the love story between Kana's parents. :D  
The first special is called "Take Me There" and it's about Kana's parents meeting for the very first time. I'm excited to post it and see what you all think. :)  
Oh, and don't forget to review. I will greatly appreciate it. :)

**Fun Fact:** How Sayaka came up with Kana  
**Ka**ethe **Na**chtigal  
Kana  
Cool, huh?


	6. Special: Take Me There

_**Secrets In Her Smile**_

_This is the first installment to The Secrets Within series.  
This story is a remake of the story Secrets and Scares._

**Summary: **Rukia wasn't the only one who was taken to the Soul Society that night she was found. A student at Karakura High, and also a friend of Ichigo's, named Kana was unwillingly taken. Ichigo and his friends now must save Rukia from execution and discover the secret Kana hides within.

**Warnings:** Violence

**Disclaimer:** I, xX-Star Sapphire-Xx, do not own anything relating to BLEACH. This means anything relating to the anime, the manga, characters, plot, etc. Tite Kubo owns all rights to BLEACH. I only own my original character that I have implanted into Kubo's piece of work.

**This special is dedicated to Kana's parents Erick and Sayaka.**

* * *

**Special: Take Me There  
**"_I wanna know everything about you._"  
-"Take Me There" by Rascal Flatts

"I'm so bored," a young woman spoke, although she was by herself. Even if there were people nearby, no one would be able to hear her. Why?

Because she was a soul reaper.

Sayaka Aizen was stuck on patrol in a small town of Karakura. There were recent hollow attacks, which was the reason why she was there, but they were much too easy to defeat. She was an unseated officer, so she was stuck with the easy, boring missions.

A gust of wind blew by, making her brown hair fly in her face. She pulled her hair back and stared at the earth below, seeing if any unexpected hollows appear. Instead, her eyes drifted over towards an open field. With how populated Karakura Town was, Sayaka was surprised to find the field untouched. The field was filled with wild flowers of different colors, but it wasn't the field that caught Sayaka's attention so easily.

In the field was a boy. Well, he was more of a man than a boy, but he still looked rather young. Other than his age, the only other thing Sayaka noticed was his hair color. It was a light blond, definitely hard to find in Japan. She wished her hair was that color, hating the plain brown hair she was born with.

The reason why Sayaka paid any attention to the boy at all was because every time she was at the field in the evening, the boy was there. He would be there from early evening until it got dark outside, and every time Sayaka saw him, his face was glued to a large sketchpad he had with him.

Sayaka would be lying if she said she didn't care what he was drawing on that pad. He looked so determined, from the distance she was at, to finish his artwork. She wished she could see what he was working on. She tried to imagine what he had pictured in his head, but she also wouldn't be surprised if she found a sketch of the field. Artists like drawing scenery... right?

Her curiosity finally got the best of her, and she flash stepped down from the sky to the ground. She stopped in the field just a few feet away from the boy (his back facing her). She took a few steps toward the boy and stopped when she could easily look over his shoulder.

Like she had guessed, the boy was drawing a sketch of the flowers. As boring as some may think that was, Sayaka was amazed how skilled he was. Sayaka did not know much about art, but the boy definitely had a talent for it. He wasn't being too detailed with the drawing, having very little shading, but Sayaka couldn't count how many flowers he drew individually on the paper.

"Whoa... That's amazing..." Sayaka said in awe, continuing to stare at the picture.

"Thank you." The response shocked Sayaka, making her jump in place and step back. She looked around and didn't spot or sense anyone nearby. The only solution was the boy had thanked her for her compliment, but there was no way that could happen. No one could see her. She had heard stories from other soul reapers that some humans could see them, but that never happened to her.

Just to make sure she was just imagining things, Sayaka decided to test him. She walked around so she stood in front of the boy. First, she started waving her arms, seeing if he acknowledges. He showed no movement other than his hand moving the pencil. His eyes didn't even look away from the paper. Next, Sayaka waved a hand in front of his face. He still didn't acknowledge her. Finally, Sayaka blocked his view from his sketchpad with her hands. He only continued to draw as if her hands were not there. After that, Sayaka laughed.

"For a second, I thought you actually heard me," she said, running a hand through her hair as if she was relieved he couldn't. "I must be going crazy from not talking to anyone the last week."

"I did hear you," the voice said again. "You're not going crazy."

He only heard her, but couldn't see her? Was that possible? Sayaka knew he wasn't blind, or he couldn't draw that field in his sketchpad. What should she do? Should she talk to him? Should she leave? Did she need to tell Captain Ukitake? Maybe she should call one of the other soul reapers that were in Tokyo. Maybe they would know what to do.

"My name is Erick." Sayaka was so into her own thoughts, she didn't even notice the boy stopped drawing and was now staring at the empty space in front of him. "What's your name?"

_Why is he still talking to me?_ She couldn't help but wonder. He was talking to her like it was normal to talk to a disembodied voice. Sayaka knew that if she were in his place, she would freak out. People would probably think she was crazy. She would think she was crazy.

Sayaka looked at the boy again as he waited patiently for her answer. He still stared at the empty space in front of him. Did he think she was sitting in front of him. She paused for a moment before deciding to sit down where he was looking at so he no longer looked like he was speaking to no one.

"I'm Sayaka," she replied softly, still uneasy with the situation.

"It's nice to meet you, Sayaka." Then the boy, Erick, smiled.

For the first time, Sayaka was able to study his face. The first thing she noticed were his eyes. They screamed out "foreigner". They were a bright blue and were more rounded. He was definitely not a native of Japan. His eyes were very warm and kind, though. His smile was the same. Sayaka couldn't help but smile back, even though he couldn't see her.

"How did you die?"

"I'm sorry?" Sayaka was shocked by the question. She was never asked that before.

"Oh, I wasn't even thinking. Sorry," he apologized, his smile never fading. "Spirits usually like to talk about what happened to them to me. I think it's because they get excited to finally talk to someone who can respond back. I didn't mean to push you."

"No, no. It's okay." Now she understood. Erick was comfortable talking to her because she wasn't the first spirit he talked to. "I don't remember how I died."

"You don't remember?" Erick looked confused. "I never met a spirit who couldn't remember how they died. Do you want to talk about it?"

"It's not a big deal. I haven't remembered for decades."

"Really?" Now he looked shocked. This confused Sayaka. "You died decades ago, yet you haven't moved on to the other side?"

"No, no," Sayaka said quickly. Now she understood what Erick was doing. He thought she needed help to the Soul Society. "I've already 'moved on'."

Erick looked confused again. "You did? Then how come you're here?"

Should Sayaka tell him of her job? Would that be against some rule? For some reason, Sayaka felt could tell Erick, whether it was allowed or not. "I'm a soul reaper. It's my job."

"Really?" Erick gained real interest in her story now. That made Sayaka nervous. Now she almost felt like she shouldn't have said anything at all.

"Um, yeah."

"That's so cool! I never met a soul reaper before." The smile returned to his face. "What do you do?"

And for some reason, Sayaka explained everything she did. What her job as a soul reaper was. What hollows were and how they existed. She even started explaining about her squad and what it entailed. Sayaka was happy to be talking about it with Erick. She was happy talking to him in general, even if he couldn't see her.

What really interest Sayaka was Erick himself. He never once talked about himself. Not like he was trying to avoid or hide anything. It was the exact opposite. He was more than willing to talk about everything and anything. He just never brought anything up. He never brought up his family, his friends, nothing. He was more interested in her life than he was of his, just like Sayaka was more interested in learning about his life.

Just when she was about to ask him a few questions, he said he had to go.

"I have school tomorrow," Erick told her when he got up.

"School?" Sayaka knew what school was. She didn't know much of the World of the Living, but she understood human children went to school to get an education until they become of age. She was just surprised Erick said he was in school. It made her wonder how old he was.

"Yeah. My first day of high school starts tomorrow."

"Oh." Sayaka's question was not answered. She didn't understand how the school system worked, so she couldn't guess how old he was. All she could say for sure was that he definitely looked and acted much older than he was.

Erick laughed, which confused Sayaka. "You don't have to sound so disappointed. I'll be back tomorrow."

Him saying that made her happy. She wanted to talk to him more.

"You'll come back too, right?"

Sayaka nodded her head, forgetting the fact he couldn't see her. "Yeah."

"Great!" A grin appeared on Erick's face. "I'll see you tomorrow then. Goodnight, Sayaka!"

And like he said, Erick returned the following day. And the day after that. And the day after that. Sayaka was glad, because she was able to ask all the questions she wanted. She learned he was born in Germany and lived there until he was five. After his father died, his mother met a very rich japanese CEO and got married. Erick mentioned how he was sure his step-father was having an affair, but he wasn't sure how to tell his mother.

Sayaka also learned Erick didn't like big cities. He hated living in Tokyo, so with his step-father's help, he got an apartment in Karakura Town where he decided to go to high school. Karakura Town was still a little too big for Erick's liking, but the town was very peaceful, so Erick didn't have any complaints.

Erick also mentioned how he wished he had a little brother. He didn't want a sister because he would be too protective of her. He didn't want to have to beat up every single male who dared to look at his sister. He also didn't want a sister for the fact he felt she would be to fragile, and he would be afraid he'd break her.

Lastly, Erick said he didn't know what he wanted to do in his life. He was a great artist, but there was no way he knew he could make a living off of it. Not many people appreciated art unless they were either an artist themselves or the artist was dead for decades.

"What I do know is that I want a family," Erick stated, looking away from his sketch pad. He brought little cups with different shades of blue and green that day along with several different paintbrushes. He looked to the sky with a smile. "I want to get married to the most amazing woman. I don't know who she is yet, but I know I'll find her. And we'll get married and have kids. We'll live a very happy life." Erick laughed nervously while scratching the back of his head. "I know, it's really girly. You're the first person I told."

"Wow." Sayaka envied the boy. She never had a dream that made her feel what Erick was feeling at that moment. Sure, she wished to be a soul reaper, but that was because everyone wanted to be one. Hearing Erick's dream made Sayaka want a similar one. A dream that wouldn't make her doubt about her life choices. "A family... I never thought about that."

"You haven't?" Erick was confused by her response. "But you're a girl. Don't most girls dream about having kids and finding true love since childhood?"

"No," Sayaka answered unsurely. Was it really that weird that the word "family" never really crossed her mind unless it was about her brother? She suddenly felt a bit down that she never really thought about it prior. "I dreamed of being a soul reaper ever since I could remember."

"That's great!" Erick said, enthusiastically. He held a large grin on his face, and though he wasn't looking at her, Sayaka knew that smile was for her. "You're living your dream!"

"Yeah," the brunette replied, trying to sound happier than she felt.

Becoming a soul reaper was every child's dream in the Soul Society. If the child didn't have high spiritual pressure, there was no hope for him or her to enter the Soul Reaper Academy. Sayaka was lucky enough to have the ability and get into the school. She had a feeling that her excitement for becoming a soul reaper was nothing compared to Erick's passion about his dream.

"I guess I am living my dream." _But how come I feel like I'm not?_

* * *

**Author's Note:** This chapter was inspired by the song "Take Me There" by Rascal Flatts. I thought it fit how Kana's parents came to be quite perfectly. Sayaka was eager to know about Erick, and Erick was eager to share. :) This chapter ended in a different direction, but I'm glad how it turned out.

And just so you know, Sayaka and Erick do not share romantic feelings for each other at this time of their lives. They just grew a strong bond with each other. Sayaka sees Erick as a child where Erick sees Sayaka as a friend. I don't want you to think that it's a "love at first sight" type of situation. No, sorry.

Keep looking out for more "specials". I'm planning on writing a few more as the story progresses. They'll mostly be about how Kana came to be and what her life was like in the Soul Society.


	7. Chapter 5: Home

_**Secrets In Her Smile  
**__This is the first installment to The Secrets Within series.  
__This story is a remake of the story Secrets and Scares._

**Summary: **Rukia wasn't the only one who was taken to the Soul Society that night she was found. A student at Karakura High, and also a friend of Ichigo's, named Kana was unwillingly taken. Ichigo and his friends now must save Rukia from execution and discover the secret Kana hides within.

**Warnings:** Violence

**Disclaimer:** I, xX-Star Sapphire-Xx, do not own anything relating to BLEACH. This means anything relating to the anime, the manga, characters, plot, etc. Tite Kubo owns all rights to BLEACH. I only own my original character that I have implanted into Kubo's piece of work.

* * *

**Chapter Five: Home  
**"_Home is not where you live but where they understand you._"  
-Christian Morgenstern

Kana forgot how simple life was in the Soul Society. The district her uncle and herself lived in was a quiet district with the occasional child's laughter or neighbors talking. Not even the shopping corner down the path was bothersome. It was peaceful, unlike Karakura Town.

Cars always drove by with the screeching of the brakes or the honking of the horns. Jinta always yelled at Ururu for something she did or said. Kisuke always popped out of no where, asking for help with something he was to lazy to do himself. As much as Kana would like to say how much she missed the peaceful streets of the rukon district, she really missed Karakura Town.

She missed the noises of the city. She missed Jinta's loud arguments. She missed Kisuke's laziness. She also missed Ururu and Tessai. Kana couldn't forget her friends at school either. Tatsuki, Orihime, Mihana, Michiru, and Chizuru. She even missed Keigo and Mizuiro. Kana missed everyone back in the World of the Living, and she would do anything to get back.

_And Ichigo..._Kana prayed every time she thought of him. She prayed he was still alive and well. She hoped Kisuke noticed the disturbance and found Ichigo before it was too late.

Kana was tempted many times to ask her uncle to let her go to the World of the Living for just a moment to make sure Ichigo was okay and to see everyone one last time. She wanted to at least say goodbye. She knew she had to high of hopes for that though. Ever since she came back a few days ago, her uncle never let her out of his sight. Kana couldn't blame him though. He was probably more than worried about her, wondering if she okay every day for the last year.

It was why Kana was stuck in her uncle's office while he did paperwork. She couldn't enjoy the peacefulness of the rukon district if she wanted to. Every ten minutes, a member of her uncle's squad walked in either reporting in, receiving a mission, or handing in paperwork. It never ended. Kana tried to mind her own business and hide in the corner of the office, with a sketch pad in hand. It didn't stop soul reapers from approaching her.

"How's it going?"

"Are you new to the squad? I've never seen you before."

"I remember you. You're...who again?"

And the interruptions continued. It probably didn't help Kana was in soul reaper garb, but since she technically wasn't allowed in the Seireitei, she had to do her best to blend in. Very few people in the Soul Society knew of her existence. Only Captains and a few subordinates knew of her. The soul reapers who entered the office never met her before, which Kana found interesting how some had believed to know her. Couldn't any of them realize Kana wanted to be left alone?

"Hey there, Kana," a voice called out to her, making her tense up. She guessed not. "I wasn't expecting to see you here."

Kana looked up and found a man looking at her with a smile on his face. She smiled shyly in return, recognizing him immediately. He hadn't changed at all since Kana saw him last. That was a good thing though. If he didn't have his blond bangs covering his left eye, Kana was sure she wouldn't recognize him.

"She's not suppose to be here, but I'll appreciate it if you didn't mention it to anyone, Izuru." That voice was not from the man in front of Kana, but from the man sitting at a small desk on the other side of the room.

Izuru looked away from Kana and walked up to the other man. "Sure thing, Captain Aizen. Here are the reports you asked from Captain Ichimaru."

"Thank you."

Kana didn't take her eyes off Izuru as he started to walk back towards the exit. He looked in her direction and gave her another smile. "It was good to see you, Kana."

Kana only gave him a nod before the man was out of sight. When she saw Izuru was gone, Kana let out a deep breath she didn't realize she was holding. It wasn't that she didn't like Izuru. She thought he was a very nice person. She had no problems with him at all. She felt uncomfortable whenever he was near, and only she knew why.

"Kana, are you okay?"

The blonde teenager tensed up once again and looked at her uncle. Was he able to sense what she was feeling? Uneasily, Kana looked over at her uncle who was giving her a look of concern. She gave him a nod to confirm that she was and went back to sketching.

"Are you sure?" he asked again. "You haven't relaxed since you got back."

Her pencil came to a stop. Was she that predictable? "I'm relaxed. I don't have to worry about math homework anymore."

"How come you're hiding then?"

"I'm not," Kana defended, not looking away from her sketchbook.

"You're sitting in a corner and concealing your spirit energy."

Kana still wouldn't look at him. All she could do was pretend not to hear him and begin shading her sketch. She really didn't want to talk about it. If her uncle could read her as well as she knew he did, how come he wouldn't drop the subject?

"Can I go visit Renji?"

Her uncle smiled. "I'm glad to see some things never change. I was afraid you wouldn't be you anymore after being in the living world for so long."

"I haven't changed that much. I'm still me. Just older," the blonde said. She knew exactly what her uncle was doing and gave him pleading glance. "Can I go, please?

The man let out a sigh and turned back to his desk. "Not today. I'm sure he's busy with his new job as a lieutenant. Byakuya is not the easiest person to please. Maybe tomorrow."

_That's what you said yesterday._ Kana returned to her drawing, shading in a few more spots before she was happy with it. She put her book to the side and hugged her legs to her chest. Resting her head on her knees, she couldn't help but think, _I wish I was home._

.: - :.

Renji yawned and stretched out as far as he could in his chair. He never realized how boring being a lieutenant was. He sat a desk for most of the day, filling out paperwork over the mostly covered small ends of the divisions. He was sure he was suppose to be doing more, but he also knew his captain would rather do the work himself than give it to someone else. Especially giving it to someone he didn't know very well.

The red head sighed. He wished his captain would have more trust in him. Even after helping bring back Rukia and Kana, Renji knew Byakuya still wouldn't acknowledge him as his lieutenant. They don't even share the same office as many other captains and lieutenants do. How could Renji defeat the captain who took Rukia away if the noble won't even look in his direction?

"_You saying something about a scratch?"_

_Cocky bastard._ Renji wasn't sure why he thought about that kid. Maybe it was because the kid embarrassed him in front of Byakuya. Renji couldn't easily defeat the teen like he wanted. He had to admit, the kid was stronger than he looked, but that didn't make Renji like him any more. Anyone who got Rukia into the trouble she was in deserved nothing but hatred from Renji.

"_Ichigo, get out of here!"_

Why did Rukia even care about the kid anyway? He was the reason why Rukia had a death sentence. Even so, Rukia tried to help the kid by pinning Renji so the kid had a chance to run. He couldn't run very far anyway, not with Byakuya there, but that didn't stop her from trying to save him.

"_No! He can't die!" _

Kana, someone Renji knew since she was a child, was defending him. Renji was especially surprised by her actions when he was escorting her back to her home in the rukon district. He never saw her so frightened and shocked. Over a year ago, Kana would be nothing but smiles, talking about what books she read that day or what pictures she drew. That night, she wouldn't look at him, let alone say anything. Renji thought that Kana tried to talk, but when she did, she just cried. Was that brat really that important to her?

"Why am I thinking about this?" Renji asked himself, frustratingly while hitting his fist against the desk. The kid was dead. Why should Renji be thinking about something that no longer concerned him?

"Hi, Renji."

The lieutenant's body immediately tensed up before registering who spoke. It became a habit while in his office since Byakuya liked to walk by as Renji paused for a moment before continuing his work. The red head looked and found a small framed girl standing in his doorway.

"Hey, Momo," Renji greeted as he sighed in relief.

The girl smiled and walked in. "I heard you brought Kana back."

"Yeah, it wasn't easy," he commented, remembering the night again. "Why? You haven't seen her yet?"

"No, I have." Momo still had the smile, but she looked sad at the same time. "Kana hasn't talked much since she returned. I think I'd be the same way if that happened to me."

Renji nodded his head. He really didn't want to reminisce on the night. He was curious as to why she was in his office though. Sure, Momo and he went to school together and were really good friends, but they haven't had time to see each other unless they had the same day off. Why would she visit while they were both working?

"Kana keeps asking Captain Aizen to see you."

_So that's why. _Renji wasn't surprised. "What am I suppose to do about it?"

Momo looked taken aback by his response. "Well, I thought maybe if you talked to her, she would feel better. And you would feel better too! I know you and Rukia are childhood frie-"

"Okay, I understand," the red head interrupted, not wanting to hear anymore. He picked up a stack up papers and said, "I need to hand these in to Captain Kuchiki."

"Oh, okay. I understand." Momo smiled again. "I'll see you later, Renji."

When Momo was gone, Renji placed the papers back on his desk. He couldn't help but let out a frustrated sigh. He didn't want to talk about it anymore. About that kid. About Rukia. About Kana. He just wanted to forget about it all. He knew the situation was not going to end well and would prefer not to think about it.

Did Momo think he didn't want to see Kana? He did, really. He just wasn't sure if that was the best. When he and Kana reunited, it definitely wasn't under the best circumstances. Her friends were bleeding to death on the ground, Renji dragged her though the gate to the Soul Society, and she also almost got sick on him. Renji wasn't sure if visiting Kana was the best thing for him. The red head let out a yawn. He didn't know what to do anymore.

Suddeny, Renji felt something familiar. He looked back at the door and found his captain standing there, looking back. Before Renji could say a word, his captain walked away. His fist gripped tightly as he hit his desk once again.

"Why every time?"

* * *

**Author's Note:** I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It wasn't too exciting. Sorry about that. Leave a review! :)


	8. Chapter 6: Friendship

**Secrets In Her Smile**

_This is the first installment to The Secrets Within series.  
This story is a remake of the story Secrets and Scares._

**Summary: **Rukia wasn't the only one who was taken to the Soul  
Society that night she was found. A student at Karakura High, and  
also a friend of Ichigo's, named Kana was unwillingly taken. Ichigo  
and his friends now must save Rukia from execution and discover  
the secret Kana hides within.

**Warnings: **Violence

**Disclaimer: **I, xX-Star Sapphire-Xx, do not own anything relating to  
BLEACH. This means anything relating to the anime, the manga,  
characters, plot, etc. Tite Kubo owns all rights to BLEACH. I only  
own my original character that I have implanted into Kubo's  
piece of work.

**Chapter Six: Friendship**  
_"Friendship improves happiness, and abates misery, by  
doubling our joys, and dividing our grief."_  
-Marcus Tullius Cicero

Was it natural for 15-year-olds or did Kana have a natural talen of sneaking around unnoticed? Renji wished he could be impressed with her talent, if only it wasn't 3:00 in the morning.

"What the-?!" Renji exclaimed, but stopped short realizing it was still early. He wouldn't admit he was startled when he opened and saw Kana sitting next to his futon, watching him sleep. "What the hell are you doing here? You should be sleeping."

Renji sat up and ran his hand through his red hair. He was a little weirded out Kana was just watching him sleep. How long was she there? And how come she didn't wake him up sooner? He let out a yawn. He wished she wasn't there at all. She should be back home... Then he put the pieces together.

"How did you get in the Seireitei?" He shouldn't be surprised. Kana did leave the Soul Society without a trace. Still, it was a lot harder to enter the Seireitei than it was to leave. Especially with the gate keepers, even if they knew who she was, there was no way they would have just let her in. She wasn't a soul reaper or part of the 13 squads.

"You didn't come see me."

Renji let out a sigh. "I was busy with work. I'm a lieutenant now. I have responsibilities to my squad. Now how did you get in here?"

Kana didn't skip a beat. "Didn't Momo tell you I wanted to see you?"

"So it was your idea?"

"No!" the girl replied quickly. "I didn't tell her to visit you. She told me she stopped your office."

Renji cursed at himself. He was letting her change the subject. He couldn't let her do that. She wasn't going to win tonight. "How did you get in here?"

"Will you let that go?" Kana started to sound a bit irritated. Good. Now she knew how it felt to be ignored. "I'm trying to-"

"If you, a weak _human_, can get into the Seireitei, then so can hollows. Tell me now or I'll take you to Captain Kuchiki."

Kana fell silent. Why wasn't she getting the severity of the situation? Not only is the security of the Seireitei was in danger, but so was Renji. He was afraid what Captain Aizen might do to him if the captain knew Kana wasn't in her bed.

"Uncle fell asleep at his desk. We haven't left. Happy?"

"Very." Renji was glad Kana was scared of Byakuya Kuchiki. He shifted on his futon so he could go back to sleep. "Now go back to Captain Aizen's office and have him take you home."

"No!" Kana shouted. The red-head shushed her. "I walked all the way here. Can't we talk a little bit longer?"

"It's the middle of the night," Renji told her. He knew she wasn't realizing the seriousness of the situation. Not only was he worried about her uncle waking up and finding her gone, he was also worried Kana would wake someone up. The last thing he needed was one of his subordinates to come over and find a young girl in his room. The lieutenant's reputation would be ruined. "You couldn't wait until a decent hour?"

"You're too bus-!" Renji covered her mouth with his hand. How could Kana be so narrow-minded?

"And I'm not busy now? You know, sleeping?" he said in an agitated, hushed tone. He dropped his hand and began massaging his temples. She was worse than having a younger sister, and he was an only child.

In the silence, Renji heard a sniffle. Then another one. And another.

"Didn't you want to see me though?" Kana asked, followed by more sniffling. "It's been so long since we last saw each other."

Renji looked at his friend and regretted it the moment it happened. There it was, bright as day. Even in the dark, the moon still illuminated Kana's face revealing the face Renji always hated. The _pouty_ face. The lieutenant was tough and stubborn, but the face got him every time. It's worked with Momo, Sayaka... Even Rukia! Kana's was the worst though. Kana sometimes pushed the face to the extreme, adding a few tears. It made her look as innocent as the day he met her all those years ago.

"I missed you, Renji. Didn't you miss me?"

Speaking of tears, Renji could see one start to form. It stood out even more with the reflection of the light in his dark room.

"Dammit, Kana. Fine. You win."

"Yay!" Kana clapped, a smile on her face and no trace of tears. Renji really wanted to hate her right then. "Now I have a proposal for you. Want to take a walk with me?"

Renji sighed. Why didn't he see this coming? Oh right. He did.

"Dammit."

.: - :.

Rukia tossed and turned on the uncomfortable futon. The silence of the Seireitei was screaming at her. She wished she was back in Karakura Town. The loud city life would have blocked out her thoughts of sorrow and fear. Her thoughts were worse after hearing she would be executed just short of a month.

Was her crime worth the punishment? She transferred her soul reaper powers to a human boy. It was a major crime, but she didn't think she would have to go through an execution. Still, she didn't regret doing it. She was able to save a family. She would never regret something like that. She just wished the silence would go away so she didn't have to think about her execution anymore.

She didn't have many visitors so the silence continued into the day. The only visitor she ever had was Hanatarou, and he was only there to clean her cell. Still, it was nice to have company. The boy was always intrigued with the stories she told of Ichigo and his friends. Hanatarou brought her a little joy with his fascination and questions. For that, she wanted to thank him.

"Rukia, wake up."

And how could she forget about her childhood friend? He visited often as well. They mostly fought, but Rukia was glad he came. Even if they fought, it only showed that he still cared. She would rather fight with him than have a serious conversation anyway. In a situation like the one she was in, Rukia needed some normalcy.

"What are you doing here, Renji? Can't you see I'm sleeping?" Rukia was glad for his interruption of the silence, but she didn't want him to know that.

"So was I, so don't complain," Renji retorted.

Rukia sat up and saw Renji leaning up against the door frame with his arms crossed, looking tired and irritated. Was her execution date pushed up? Did Central 46 change their minds and exile her instead? What was going on?

"Then what are you doing here?"

Renji sighed heavily. "You better get your ass in here."

Rukia thought he was crazy. Who was he talking to?

The lieutenant sighed again and walked into the hallway. "You didn't wake me up and drag me here just to chicken out. Get in there."

Suddenly, someone was pushed into the room. She was wearing shihakusho, which caught Rukia off guard when she recognized who she was. The girl looked back at the glaring Renji who was back in his previous position against the door frame, before hesitantly stepping forward.

"Um... Hi." Kana looked nervous. She was playing with her hands, avoiding to look at Rukia.

The moment was awkward to say the least.

Rukia was confused why the girl would be visiting her. They talked a little bit when Rukia was at her school, but she wouldn't really call them friends. It wasn't until a little bit before they were brought back to the Soul Society that Kana started talking to her more, but only if she was with Ichigo or the girls in class. She would never approach Rukia by herself.

"Do you think Ichigo is okay?" Kana finally asked, breaking the silence Rukia hated so much.

The raven-haired woman took a deep breath. Was Ichigo okay? That was a good question.

"Ichigo is an idiot. An idiot who doesn't know when to quit," Rukia stated. She gave a small smile to the teenager. "That's how I know he's alive."

Kana let out a sigh of relief. Kana knew him better than Rukia did, but maybe the girl just needed someone to tell her, to assure her Ichigo was okay. Rukia understood how the girl was feeling.

"Thank you." Kana smiled as well. The girl looked over her shoulder and gave a nod to Renji. The lieutenant understood the sign and stood up straight. Were they leaving already? Kana looked back at Rukia. "Sorry for waking you up."

Kana was beginning to walk towards their friend, but Rukia's heart broke a little. She didn't want them to go yet. She didn't want to be left in the silence again. She threw the blanket off of her and hurried to the iron bars, gripping them tightly.

"Wait." Kana stopped and turned around. "Let's talk a little bit more."

Renji groaned and sat in a nearby chair. "Make it quick. I'm tired."

Rukia smiled at Renji then turned her attention back to Kana. "Would you like to keep talking?"

Kana nodded, taking a few steps toward Rukia. "What would you like to talk about?"

What did Rukia want to talk about? She had quite a few questions stored in her mind. Another side effect of silence.

"Why did you run away?"

Kana stayed silent. Her body tensed up like someone just scared her. She didn't look like she was breathing either. What could she be thinking? Renji was also interested in what the blonde had to say. Rukia could see his eyes fixed on the teenager before them.

"I don't like being here," Kana said simply. Rukia gave her a questioning look. The blonde's body language did not fit her answer. "I'm locked in my house with nothing to do but draw and paint. It's like being a cell... No offense," Kana quickly added. "I'm a regular human girl. I should be going to school, interacting with people my age. I shouldn't be here, but here I am. I don't know why my uncle won't let me go."

Kana's situation didn't make sense to Rukia. Her obvious suspicions of Kana not being a soul reaper was correct, but it only led to more questions. Rukia couldn't think of any reason why even the head captain would allow a human girl to live in the Soul Society. Why was Kana here?

"I'm sorry."

"Huh?"

Kana looked away from Rukia. "I was kind of rude to you when we met. I thought you were there to take me back here."

"You don't have to apologize for that," Rukia told her. She couldn't really blame the girl. Now it made sense why Kana was so distant with Rukia before.

Kana nodded.

"Do you think Ichigo will save us?"

That caught Rukia's attention, if nothing else did. "What?"

"It's time to go, Kana. Say 'bye'."

Before Rukia knew it, Kana was dragged out of the room. Apparently Renji had had enough. Kana's question still hung in Rukia's mind. Will Ichigo come to the rescue? After everything, the boy getting severely hurt, Byakuya taking away his soul reaper powers... Rukia didn't think Ichigo would come to the Soul Society. It just didn't seem possible.

Rukia went back to her bed and laid down.

One thought still bothered her.

"_Do you think Ichigo will **save us**?"_

_'Save us'?_ What did Kana mean by that? Was she telling the truth before? Was her explanation the real reason why she left the Soul Society? That couldn't be possible. Kana was hiding something.

_What is Kana running away from?_


	9. Chapter 7: Human

**Secrets In Her Smile**

_This is the first installment to The Secrets Within series.  
This story is a remake of the story Secrets and Scares._

**Summary: **Rukia wasn't the only one who was taken to the Soul  
Society that night she was found. A student at Karakura High, and  
also a friend of Ichigo's, named Kana was unwillingly taken. Ichigo  
and his friends now must save Rukia from execution and discover  
the secret Kana hides within.

**Warnings: **Violence

**Disclaimer: **I, xX-Star Sapphire-Xx, do not own anything relating to  
BLEACH. This means anything relating to the anime, the manga,  
characters, plot, etc. Tite Kubo owns all rights to BLEACH. I only  
own my original character that I have implanted into Kubo's  
piece of work.

* * *

**Chapter Seven: Human**  
_"One's friends are that part of the human race  
with which one can be human."_  
-George Santayana

Boom!

"Ooh!"

Boom!

"Ah!"

Boom!

"Wow!"

"You'd swear that none of these people have seen fireworks before," Ichigo commented, specifically starting at Keigo, his sisters, and his dad. He could understand his sisters, being the age that they were. He couldn't understand why his friend and his father had to be the loudest with their reactions.

The fireworks festival finally arrived. Ichigo had to admit, it was nice to relax and enjoy spending time with everyone. He was training so much with Kisuke that he hadn't had a break since school ended for summer break.

Behind Ichigo, he heard a soft laughter. He and his friends turned their attention to the orange-haired girl. She was giggling, holding her hand to her mouth to keep her laughter quiet.

"What are you laughing at, Orihime?" Tatsuki asked, just as confused as Ichigo.

"Last year, Kana was with us-" She let out a few giggles. "She jumped so high."

The realization came to Ichigo and Tatsuki. The two let out a soft chuckle at the memory. Of course Keigo would be confused. They weren't friends at that time the previous year.

"Why did she jump? Was she on the track team?" Keigo asked, trying to understand what was going on.

"No. She was scared of the fireworks," Ichigo answered, still remembering the memory. It made sense why Kana was afraid now that he knew who she was. Back then, he couldn't believe her when she asked _"What are fireworks?"_.

"She was scared of fireworks?" Keigo laughed. "I never knew anyone who was scared of fireworks. Why? Was she afraid they were going to fall out of the sky and haunt her?" He even added "spooky" hand gestures for emphasis.

Tatsuki hit him in the shoulder, glaring at him as she did so. "Don't make fun of her. She never watched fireworks before. Give her a break." Even with a broken arm, Tatsuki could still beat every guy in school.

Her face softened and looked over at Ichigo. "It's too bad she's missing it this year. She's visiting family in Germany, right?"

That was the excuse Ichigo gave his friends when they noticed Kana was gone but didn't remember Rukia. That was the only reason Ichigo could think of at the time when Mizuiro asked him where she was. It didn't help that Kana's friends overheard and interrogated him as well. Tatsuki wasn't completely convinced, but she dropped it when Orihime told her the same thing.

"Yeah. She said that there was some family reunion or something like that." Ichigo wished lying became easier and easier. After how many lies he already told over the past few months, he still wasn't use to it.

Everyone looked back at the sky and continued to watch the fireworks. Bright colors illuminated their faces as the fireworks exploded in the sky. Ichigo could help but think how much Kana would love to see them. Rukia too. He pictured them both there when his friends would talk about the festival.

"I wish they were both here," Ichigo heard a whisper behind him.

The carrot-top teen looked over his shoulder and made eye contact with Orihime. She was thinking the same thing he was. Ichigo was glad he wasn't the only one that knew the truth. It was nice to know that not everyone forgot Rukia existed.

He looked back at the sky and took a deep breath.

_I do, too._

.: - :.

"The fireworks are today."

"What was that, Kana?"

The teenager didn't look up from her sketchbook, but she tensed up. Kana didn't know her uncle was sitting on the couch in the same room as she. She took a deep breath. She needed to learn not to speak her thoughts all the time.

"Every year in Karakura Town, they have a fireworks festival. That's today," she repeated. She only watched fireworks once in her life. That wasn't embarrassing for her when her friends found out. It was embarrassing when she had to ask what they were. She would never forget the look on Ichigo's face. "Have you ever seen fireworks, Uncle?" Kana drew a few lines on her pad.

"Once or twice."

"How come we've never seen them together?"

"They don't happen too often here."

Kana dropped the subject. She knew she wasn't going to get much else out of the conversation. Since she returned, Kana and her uncle haven't had the best relationship. Kana couldn't keep a conversation going with her uncle and the same with him. Their relationship was definitely strained, and Kana knew it was her fault. If she wouldn't have ran away, she and her uncle would be laughing at jokes and telling stories. Now the two sat in the living room of their home in awkward silence.

Kana didn't have to deal with awkwardness often. Tonight was the first night she and her uncle returned to the Rukon District early. Before, her uncle was too busy working in his office to talk to Kana. All the captains have been busy dealing with Rukia's execution.

Kana was still surprised by Central 46's decision. Was what the soul reaper did really that sinful? Wasn't the job of a soul reaper to protect humans and wholes from hollows? That was what Rukia did. How could they punish her for that? Soul Society politics never really made sense to Kana. She was sure they never will either.

"I went with your mother once, to watch fireworks," her uncle stated, bringing Kana out of her thoughts. She looked up from her sketchbook and stared at her uncle. "That was long before you were born though."

Kana turned to face her uncle and sat on the edge of her seat, gripping onto her book as she did so. That was her usual reaction whenever her uncle talked about her mother. Kana never got tired about hearing those stories.

"Did my mom enjoy them?"

"She loved them."

"Me too!" Kana smiled. It was another trait she had in common with her mother. "Was she scared of them? They startled me when I saw them last year. I didn't think they were so loud."

Her uncle laughed and sat the book he was reading down on the end table. How long was Kana tuned out of her surroundings to not notice her uncle enter the room to read a book? She must have been really out of it.

"Yes, she nearly jumped three feet." Kana laughed with her uncle. She glad she wasn't the only one afraid of fireworks. "Once she was use to the sound, she was fascinated with them. She said watching them made her feel normal."

Her uncle sounded a little confused when he finished talking. Kana wasn't though. The teen knew exactly when her mother was feeling when she watched the fireworks so many years ago. She felt the same way when she watched them with her friends. Kana used a different word back then.

_Human._

Kana felt more human.

* * *

**Author's Note: **This chapter is a bit of a filler. I had a scene  
similar to this in the original story. I revamped it to have a  
deeper meaning for Kana. I do apologize how short it is, but  
it's a filler. I didn't want to drag it out. The real fun starts in  
the next chapter though. :)

Review and tell me what you think!


	10. Chapter 8: Honesty

**Secrets In Her Smile**

_This is the first installment to The Secrets Within series.  
This story is a remake of the story Secrets and Scares._

**Summary: **Rukia wasn't the only one who was taken to the Soul  
Society that night she was found. A student at Karakura High, and  
also a friend of Ichigo's, named Kana was unwillingly taken. Ichigo  
and his friends now must save Rukia from execution and discover  
the secret Kana hides within.

**Warnings: **Violence

**Disclaimer: **I, xX-Star Sapphire-Xx, do not own anything relating to  
BLEACH. This means anything relating to the anime, the manga,  
characters, plot, etc. Tite Kubo owns all rights to BLEACH. I only  
own my original character that I have implanted into Kubo's  
piece of work.

* * *

**Chapter Eight: Honesty**  
_"Honesty is the first chapter of the book of wisdom."_  
-Thomas Jefferson

Kana was concentrating. Her tongue was slightly sticking out of her mouth as  
she connected her pencil to paper. She shaded a few spots on a face and  
added a few lines to the hair. She was just about...

_Done!_

What she drew was a sketch of her two best friends in school, Tatsuki and  
Orihime. They each had an arm around each other, grinning like they would if  
they were taking a photo. Kana smiled at her work. She missed her friends.

She wondered if Tatsuki won her karate tournament. Kana wouldn't doubt it.  
Tatsuki was the best martial artist in school, and that included the boys.  
Tatsuki would probably win with an arm tied behind her back.

Kana also thought about Orihime. Was she eating well? With Orihime's  
strange recifpes, Kana was surprised her friend hadn't gotten sick or fat.  
Hopefully Tatsuki was making sure Orihime was taking care of herself.

The blonde teenager sighed and leaned back leaned forward in her seat. She  
was in her uncle's office, bored and lonely. Her uncle was sitting at his desk,  
too busy to pay any attention to her. Kana wasn't surprised by this.

"Uncle?"

Silence, except for the pen scribing on to paper.

"Uncle?"

More silence.

Kana gave up. She already knew her uncle wouldn't let her leave to see  
Renji. Her uncle still didn't trust her enough to let her walk around by herself.  
It was starting to really get on Kana's nerves. She thought their relationship  
was fine since they bonded the other night. What else did Kana have to do  
to get her bond back with her uncle?

Suddenly, a shiver ran down her spine. That usually meant someone with  
high spiritual pressure was near. It happened quite often, being in the  
Seireitei and all, but this time was different. She recognized who it belonged  
to and tensed up. Before she knew it, the soul reaper entered her uncle's  
office.

"Hello, Captain Aizen."

Her uncle turned his head and smiled. Kana cringed. How could he  
acknowledge that man but not his own niece?

"Gin Ichimaru. It's nice to see you outside of the meetings." Her uncle stood  
up and looked at Kana. "Kana, you remember Captain Ichimaru, don't you?"

Kana swallowed hard. She wished her uncle was still oblivious to her  
presence. Kana just nodded in response.

"I didn't even see you over there," Captain Ichimaru told her, giving her a  
closed-lipped smile. "How was your stay in the Living World?"

Kana didn't respond right away. She looked at her uncle, then back at the  
white-haired captain. "Good." Her voice was void of any emotion and quick.  
The less she talked with him, the better it was. Maybe it would even make  
him leave faster.

"What brings you here, Gin?"

Captain Ichimaru turned his attention back to her uncle. "I was just at the  
North Gate. A group of Ryoka tried to get in."

Kana was shocked. No one could just walk through the gate. There were  
gate keeper soul reapers guarding them, and they weren't gate keepers for  
just any reason. They were big and really strong. Not just anyone could  
defeat one of them.

"And I think they're here for Kana."

Kana gasped and clutched her sketchbook. The first thought in her mind was  
Ichigo. Could he be in the Soul Society? That meant he was alive, and he  
regained his soul reaper powers. She smiled. She might be saved. Rukia and  
she would live to see another day.

"Is it them?" her uncle questioned, looking very worried. Kana was confused  
by his reaction. He looked too worried, like a human child wasn't trying to  
break in. His expression reminded her of the day her mother was declared  
missing. Kana was young, but she could never forget that day.

Captain Ichimaru nodded his head. "I believe so. They made it quite clear  
who they were."

Kana looked at the white-haired captain uneasily, then to her uncle. She  
hoped they were acting like that because it was Ichigo who was at the gate,  
and they didn't want him to take her away.

"Who are 'they'?"

Captain Ichimaru looked surprised by her question. Kana never saw him  
surprised before. She didn't think he knew what being surprised meant. "You  
haven't told her anything yet, have you, Captain Aizen?"

Her uncle shook his head. He walked over to Kana and sat next to her on a  
cushion on the floor. Now Kana had a bad feeling, worse than the moment  
Captain Gin Ichimaru stepped into the office.

"Kana, I haven't been completely honest with you. Please forgive me for not  
telling you the truth sooner."

"Honest about what?" What could her uncle be talking about? He was one of  
the most truthful soul reapers in the Soul Society. He may not voice it, but if  
he thought something wasn't right, he would say so.

"About the real reason why you're here in the Soul Society."

Kana stopped breathing. The truth was finally coming out. She always knew  
that she didn't belong there. Instead of feeling relieved, she felt scared.  
Scared that her life was going to change forever in the next few minutes, and  
not for the better. She was also disappointed; disappointed in the fact the  
Ryoka at the gate was not her orange haired friend.

**.: - :.**

After weeks of training, Ichigo finally made it to the Soul Society, He didn't  
come alone like he originally planned, His friends Orihime and Chad came  
with him. Ichigo didn't even know they had special powers. He felt guilty  
because it was his fault they had such abilities that got them in the situation  
they were in now. Orihime and Chad volunteered, but they wouldn't have if  
they didn't have special abilities. Now Ichigo was worried they were going to  
get hurt, but he was also glad they came.

Ichigo stared at the large wall in front of him. It was what surrounded the  
Seireitei. The group tried to enter through the gate, even defeated the large  
gate keeper, Jidanbo, but they were stopped by a captain named Gin  
Ichimaru. Without making a sweat the captain pushed Ichigo back into the  
Rukon District. Yoruichi said Ichigo wasn't ready to fight a captain, but Ichigo  
didn't listen, like usual.

Yoruichi was a black cat that went with Ichigo and his friends. Apparently he  
was an old friend of Kisuke Urahara's. Ichigo was still freaked out that the  
cat can speak in human tongue. The teen probably wouldn't get use to it for  
a while. Ichigo also wondered how Kisuke became friends with a cat. An  
image of lonely Kisuke with dozens of cats surrounding him popped in  
Ichigo's mind. The teen smiled. He wouldn't doubt it.

The sun was beginning to set, Ichigo could see that clearly from the roof of  
the building the group was staying at. After defeating Jidanbo and then  
healing him (thanks to Orihime), then defended the large soul reaper a  
captain, the people of the Rukon District welcomed them. Ichigo could hear  
the leader of the district talking to Orihime and Uryu.

Ichigo almost forgot the Quincy tagged along with them. Ichigo wasn't sure  
why Uryu would decide to come to the Soul Society. Uryu said it was to get  
revenge, but although it was true, Ichigo thought there might be another  
reason. Even so, the soul reaper was happy to have another ally.

But now Ichigo felt stuck. The group will have to go through the gate again.  
What if more captains were on the other side of the gate the next time?  
Even Ichigo knew he wasn't strong enough to defeat one captain, let alone  
two or three. He wondered if they went to another gate that they would  
have a better chance.

Ichigo sighed and jumped down from the roof.

He had to make it inside. He had to find Rukia. He was indebted to her. He  
wasn't going to let Rukia die when she saved his life along with his family's.  
He wasn't the kind of person to just sit back and watch someone in trouble.  
That was why he also needed to find Kana. He wasn't sure why, but he knew  
she was in trouble too. He made a promise to himself that he was going to  
bring them both back.

Ichigo heard something behind him. He turned around and found Chad walking  
up.

"Chad?"

"Yeah," was his friend's response. Chad was a guy of few words.

"What's up? If you're behind me, you should say something," Ichigo told his  
friend as he turned to face him completely. If Chad wasn't so big, Ichigo was  
sure he wouldn't even notice him walking up.

"I'm always behind you." Without any expression on his face, Chad gave  
Ichigo a thumb's up. That wasn't what Ichigo meant, but Ichigo smiled anyway.

Even if Ichigo was worried about his friends, he was definitely glad he had  
them here by his side.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Another short chapter. Sorry! If anyone has  
a better quote to use for the chapter title, please share! I  
couldn't find one that really caught my eye.  
Thanks for reading! :)


	11. Special: Goodbye

**Secrets In Her Smile**

_This is the first installment to The Secrets Within series.  
This story is a remake of the story Secrets and Scares._

**Summary: **Rukia wasn't the only one who was taken to the Soul  
Society that night she was found. A student at Karakura High, and  
also a friend of Ichigo's, named Kana was unwillingly taken. Ichigo  
and his friends now must save Rukia from execution and discover  
the secret Kana hides within.

**Warnings: **Violence

**Disclaimer: **I, xX-Star Sapphire-Xx, do not own anything relating to  
BLEACH. This means anything relating to the anime, the manga,  
characters, plot, etc. Tite Kubo owns all rights to BLEACH. I only  
own my original character that I have implanted into Kubo's  
piece of work.

**Special: Goodbye**_  
"Why does it take a minute to say hello  
and forever to say goodbye?"  
_-Author Unknown

"What?" Sayaka thought she would love to hear those words. She never  
thought she'd dread the moment she received the call.

"You can come back. Yujimoto will be relieving you this evening."

Sayaka gripped onto her device. She didn't want to leave yet. "It's  
okay, Captain Ukitake. I can stay a little bit longer. It's not a problem.  
Yujimoto hates coming here anyway."

"Didn't you feel the same way about a month ago?" Was she only  
there for that long? It felt so much shorter. It was hard to believe she  
met Erick such a short time ago. Though time felt short, she did feel like  
she spent a lifetime with how much the two talked.

"Well, um..." She didn't want to admit to herself she did have those  
feelings, especially when her captain was teasing her about it. She  
regretted ever thinking guard duty over a town was boring, and it was  
all because a teenaged boy opened her eyes.

Her captain chuckled. "I see. You have to be tired though."

Sayaka wished she could lie and say she was still full of energy. She was  
exhausted. The only one who kept her going was Erick. She's never  
laughed so much until they met. She didn't want to stop talking to him.  
She like feeling the way she did when she was with him.

"I'm ok-" If timing couldn't get any worse, she yawned loudly. She  
mentally cursed at her captain for making her think about how tired  
she was.

"I'm sorry, Sayaka. I can't have you pushing yourself until you're sick." It  
was the first time she wished she had a captain who wasn't as caring  
and empathetic as Jushiro Ukitake. Well, maybe not Kenpachi Zaraki.  
He was too frightening for her.

"You'll report back to me this evening. Then you can relax for the  
weekend."

Sayaka sighed. "I understand, sir."

"I'll see you when you report in."

"Bye, Captain." Sayaka put the device in her pocket.

The soul reaper looked up at the sky. The sun wasn't terribly low. It was  
still early in the evening, too early to go to the field. With that, she knew  
her next destination and flash-stepped from the sky.

She knew where Erick lived because she slain a hollow in front of his  
apartment complex not too long ago. The teenager must have sensed  
something going on and stepped outside to take a look around.  
Sayaka found out later that he could sense her nearby, but he had no  
knowledge of the hollow.

Sayaka stopped in front a window and peeked inside. She saw the  
young man at his easel, tongue out, painting the canvas. Sayaka  
giggled softly, finding his tongue gesture hilarious.

Suddenly, the soul reaper got cold feet. She didn't want to say  
goodbye to her best friend.

_Best friend..._ She guessed he was. She was never close with anyone  
except her brother and a few others. "A few others" was probably an  
overstatement. She was never good at making friends. She finally had  
some at the academy, but only because she forced a friendship with  
Renji.

_Get in there and stop being a baby._

She fought hollows, most way bigger than herself, and spared with  
other soul reapers twice her size. How come she had to scold herself to  
talk to a human boy? The psychology of it didn't make any sense.

Sayaka climbed into the apartment thought the window. She walked  
over to Erick and stopped so she was able to get a closer look at him,  
but none at the painting. Watching him concentrate on something he  
loved always inspired her. The only goal she ever worked for was trying  
to get seated in her squad. She didn't feel inspired to do so. It was just  
part of her job as a soul reaper. Become better. She wished she had a  
hobby that inspired her like painting was to Erick.

His tongue popped back into his mouth, and he stopped moving his  
brush.

"Sayaka?"

The soul reaper gasped. Why much he be sensitive when she was near?  
With some concentration, she hid a small amount of her spiritual  
pressure. She wasn't ready to face him yet.

Erick put his paintbrush on the small table next to him and walked to  
the window. He looked outside, searching for her. It was kind of silly,  
seeing as Erick couldn't really see Sayaka to begin with.

"Hm... I could have sworn..."

Sayaka let out a silent sigh of relief. Her idea worked. He couldn't sense  
her anymore.

The teenager looked at the watch on his wrist.

"I'm gonna be late!" He ran into a room Sayaka believed was his  
bedroom and shut the door behind him.

While he was in there, Sayaka took a look at the painting. She was  
surprised at what he painted. It was a very familiar piece, but it was  
different. The field of flowers, although they were still there, were no  
longer his subject in the painting. Tears filled her eyes.

She took the notepad and pen he had on the counter and began to  
write.

**.: - :.**

Erick couldn't believe he lost track of time. He was so inspired in finishing  
his artwork that he didn't realize how late it was getting. He couldn't be  
late for Sayaka. Sure, she was late quite a few times, but she had a job  
to do. She was protecting the town. Erick thought that was incredible  
that his town had its own super hero, and no one knew it.

He threw on a clean shirt, because his previous one was covered in  
paint, and looked at himself in the mirror. Did Sayaka like green? Erick  
scrunched his nose and threw the shirt off. Blue was more his color.

Erick walked out of his room and stopped. Something was different. Just  
like before, he felt like someone was here.

"Sayaka?"

Nothing. Just silence as a response. He could have sworn she was there.  
All the signs led to it. The strange sense he felt whenever she was near,  
the small ripple in the air wherever she stood. It all led to one solution. It  
saddened Erick. Was Sayaka avoiding him? He hoped he was wrong. He  
wanted to show her his finished piece.

He went over to his easel and saw a folded up note sitting on the small  
end table where he kept his paint and brushes. He was certain that  
wasn't there before, and he knew he didn't write it. Sayaka was in his  
apartment. At least, he hoped it was her.

Erick picked up the paper and read its contents.

_I love the painting. You did a really great job._

_Keep working towards your dreams. _

_I'll be back soon. I promise._

_Sayaka_

Erick slouched into his stool and let out a sigh. Sayaka was gone. Why  
didn't she say goodbye to him? She was just a few feet away. It hurt  
knowing she was so close and didn't say a word to him before leaving.  
He understood though. He didn't want to say goodbye either.

Sayaka mentioned she had to leave at some point, so Erick shouldn't be  
surprised that she left so unexpectedly. Still, why was he sad that the  
moment finally arrived? He had gotten use to talking to someone so  
openly. He was sad he lost a friend. She was probably the best friend he  
ever had. Erick hoped she wouldn't be gone for too long.

He looked at his artwork and smiled. It was the painting he was working  
on when he met Sayaka. He changed it a little bit, though. In the field,  
he added two people. They were leaning back to back. One was a boy  
holding pad in his hand. He looked like a blond-haired teenaged boy,  
wearing just a plain T-shirt and jeans. The other was a girl with medium-  
length, brown hair. She didn't have anything in her hands, but a  
sheathed blade sat next to her. She also wore the oddest of clothing;  
something that hadn't been worn in centuries.

Erick closed his eyes. This was his favorite painting.

"See you soon, Sayaka."

**.: - :.**

**Author's Note:** Sorry I didn't forewarn that this chapter would be another special.  
I decided last minute to put it up. I love writing their (Erick's and Sayaka's)  
relationship. No, they still aren't in the stage of loving one another. I'm  
just showing how strong of a bond they have. Tell me what you think! :)  
Thanks for reading!


	12. Chapter 9: Nightmare

**Secrets In Her Smile**

_This is the first installment to The Secrets Within series.  
This story is a remake of the story Secrets and Scares._

**Summary: **Rukia wasn't the only one who was taken to the Soul  
Society that night she was found. A student at Karakura High, and  
also a friend of Ichigo's, named Kana was unwillingly taken. Ichigo  
and his friends now must save Rukia from execution and discover  
the secret Kana hides within.

**Warnings: **Violence

**Disclaimer: **I, xX-Star Sapphire-Xx, do not own anything relating to  
BLEACH. This means anything relating to the anime, the manga,  
characters, plot, etc. Tite Kubo owns all rights to BLEACH. I only  
own my original character that I have implanted into Kubo's  
piece of work.

* * *

**Chapter Nine: Nightmare**_  
"There are many who don't wish to sleep for fear of nightmares.  
Sadly, there are many who don't wish to wake for the same fear."  
_-Richelle E. Goodrich, _Dandelions: The Disappearance of Annabelle Fancher_

"_There's an unconfirmed report... one of the Ryoka had orange-haired soul reaper with  
a sword the length of his body..."_

Those words wouldn't leave Rukia's mind. Why would Renji tell her that? He just  
escorted her to the Repentance Cell after informing her the execution was going  
to be in 14 days. Did he want her to have hope that she can be helped?

Rukia shook her head. She couldn't. Even if Ichigo was in the Soul Society, she  
couldn't think she was going to be rescued. It will only lead to disappointment. No  
one can help her for she had sinned, and she now must pay the price.

The Kuchiki hoped if the soul reaper was Ichigo, he wouldn't get into the Seireitei.  
It onlyn meant death for him and whomever was with him. Rukia didn't doubt  
Ichigo's capabilities. Ichigo was definitely stronger than one would think, but he  
wouldn't be up against hollows. He would be up against soul reapers with  
decades, even centuries, of experience.

Rukia sighed. All she could do now was hope Ichigo doesn't get hurt. She smiled  
then. Since there was no use saving her, Rukia wondered if Ichigo will save Kana  
from whatever she was running from.

_I wonder if Renji will tell Kana about Ichigo..._

.: - :.

_I am not telling Kana._

Renji walked down the corridors of the Seireitei. He already regretted telling Rukia  
that kid tried to get in. He never saw so much life in her eyes... He wished he  
hadn't given her hope, especially since the kid was probably dead. Captain  
Ichimaru was the one who intercepted the Ryoka, so Renji wouldn't doubt it. Then  
again, maybe it was for the best that Rukia knew. He was glad that he didn't  
mention that the kid was probably dead.

He knew if he told Kana, she would give him the same reaction. She would probably  
chase after the kid, knowing her. If she found out the kid might be dead again, she  
would probably go into a state of depression. Kana was always a bit dramatic. Why  
did Kana and Rukia have so much hope for this kid? He was just an annoying brat,  
one that caused Rukia's demise.

"Hey, Renji!" Renji heard and turned around. There he saw his old captain Sosuke  
Aizen, waving at him. "Long time no see."

"Captain Aizen?" The red-headed lieutenant hadn't seen the captain in a very long  
time, since he was transferred to Squad 11.

"Can I speak to you for a moment?" Captain Aizen looked a little worried. He must  
be worried about the Ryoka situation.

Renji nodded his response and followed the captain into his office. Captain Aizen  
immediately started going through some paperwork on the other side of the room.

"Well, well. It's been a long time since we had a talk, Renji."

"True." It was weird talking to his old captain. Even with Kana hanging around and  
watching her grow up, Renji didn't see him much.

"I haven't seen you since you went to Captain Zaraki's place. That was quite a few  
years ago, wasn't it?" Captain Aizen turned around and smiled. Apparently Renji was  
the only one who felt the oddness with this meeting. "And now you're in Squad 6, I  
hear. I can't believe we haven't talked sooner. Kana spends so much time with you.  
Thank you for bringing her back."

"It's no problem." The lieutenant didn't even know Kana was there in the same town  
as Rukia, let alone they being friends. It was definitely a coincidence that Captain  
Kuchiki and himself found both Rukia and Kana at the same time. Speaking of Kana...  
"Where is Kana?"

"She's sleeping," Captain Aizen replied, gesturing to the lump on the couch covered  
by a blanket. Renji could see her blonde hair cascading over the edge of the  
furniture. "She's had a rough couple of days."

Renji nodded. Had the captain said something to Kana? Probably not. He could see  
Kana trying whatever she could to find her friends, rumor or not. It made sense since  
Kana was human after all. This made the lieutenant wonder...

"Why is Kana here?" Renji blurted out. He didn't even mean to speak his thoughts.  
"I'm sorry, Captain! I was out of line. It's not my-"

Captain Aizen laughed.

"It's okay, Renji. You're only curious.." The captain walked over to Kana and pulled  
the blanket to cover her shoulders better. "She's all the family I have left. We just  
have each other. I'm selfish when I say this, I don't want her to go because I don't  
want to be lonely."

Renji wasn't quite sure how to respond to that. He didn't have any family, only his  
friends in the Rukon District. Even then, they all died, except for Rukia, and now  
even she was going to die. Maybe Renji did understand how the captain felt.

"What did you want to talk about, sir?"

The captain nodded his head, then walked over to the door and closed the curtain.  
"Would you say you were fairly close with the prisoner? Rukia Kuchiki, right?"

Renji was surprised he knew.

"You can tell me the truth," the captain stated, looking at the lieutenant. "Weren't  
you two of you real close in your younger days back in the Rukon District."

"Yes," the red head answered. Now he could see memories of his childhood, how  
rough it was for their little group and how strong their bond was. What made Renji  
wonder was why Captain Aizen was talking about this.

"In that case, I'll get right to the point. In your personal opinion, does Rukia  
deserve to die?"

Renji was surprised once again. It wasn't his place to say yes or no. He was suppose  
to follow orders. He couldn't think of what should be or what shouldn't be. "How-How  
can you ask such a thing?-"

"Doesn't it seem a little strange?" Captain Aizen asked, interrupting the red-head.  
"Her crime was the unauthorized transfer and subsequent loss of her spiritual powers  
and then refusing to return. Serious offenses to be sure, but does this punishment fit  
the crime?

"The order for immediate return and disposal of her gigai, the lessening of the grace  
period from thirty-five to twenty-five days, and the use of the Sokyoku on a soul  
reaper ranked lower than captain... All those measures are outside the point. I have a  
strong suspicion that these things are happening as the result of the will of a single  
person."

"What are you suggesting, Captain?" Renji went into a small state of panic. The  
captain wasn't insinuating a conspiracy. He was still thinking there was a traitor in  
their ranks. Who could be that powerful to have so much control over the situation?  
Everything the captain said made sense, but it doesn't explain why. "You're not saying  
that-"

"I'm not suggesting anything. Only that you keep your eyes open," the captain  
interrupted. He paused for a moment. "Be careful. There's something not right about  
all of this."

The alarm started to sound, cutting Captain Aizen off. An emergency meeting was called.

What Captain Aizen was saying, the meaning behind his words... Could it be true?  
Could Rukia's execution be a part of something much bigger? Renji wasn't sure what the  
right answer was. He did have a horrible feeling in his gut that something bad was about  
to happen, and he now was a part of it.

.: - :.

Kana ran. She wasn't sure how she ended up running with all her might down the  
different corridors. She did know why she didn't stop. All she could hear were footsteps  
behind her, and she was pretty sure they belonged to the Ryoka.

She was in a dark place, but she was sure she was still in the Seireitei. The aura directly  
around her was lit like she was carrying a camp light although she wasn't holding  
anything at all, and the walls looked just like the ones in the Seireitei.

"Run all you want, little girl," a menacing voice shouted. She knew they were behind her,  
but the voice echoed and she was confused what direction it was coming from. "You  
can't run forever!"

Kana panicked. She found a door just as she ran passed it. She gripped onto the frame,  
whipping her body to hit the wall. She didn't think of the tingling pain as she threw the  
door open. She didn't waste a second to jump into the room and shut the door.

The room was completely dark, no light to show her the way. Kana used her hands to  
find a hiding spot. She bumped into a crate with a large piece of fabric on top. Quickly,  
she hid behind the crate, under the fabric. She then covered her mouth, hoping that  
will muffle her heavy breathing.

Then Kana waited.

She heard the footsteps stop outside the room. She held her breath.

_Don't find me! Please go away!_

"Hiding won't help you here, little girl!" the voice sounded like he was in the room  
with her. Kana clutched her hand more closely to her mouth to hide any sound. She  
regretted stopping. They were going to find her. It wasn't hard to notice when  
someone was hiding under a blanket.

The footsteps began again, this time away from the door. Kana still help her breath  
for a few more moments. She couldn't let her guard down. That was the biggest  
mistake girls made in horror movies, and even though Kana knew those movies  
weren't real, she was in a very real situation. She didn't want to die.

Just then, the fabric flew off her body. She screamed. There was enough light in the  
room to see the figure standing over her. She could see his closed-lipped smile. As  
scared as she was, she felt calm by the smile, like it was familiar to her. But still, the  
smile was as sinister as the voice...

"I found you."

And then pain.

Kana screamed, sitting straight up on the couch. She was breathing heavily, sweat  
ripping down her forehead. She glanced around the room without blinking, repeating  
"They found me". She touched her abdomen, glancing down to see nothing was  
there. No pain. No blood. No evidence of what she just saw. Then she began to sob  
into her hands.

"Shh..." her uncle whispered as he sat next to her on the couch, wrapping his arms  
around her.

"_You're a very special girl, Kana."_

"It was a dream..." Kana realized, relaxing in her uncle's arms. "The same dream.  
They keep finding me."

"_I believe you have a special abilities."_

"They won't find you," her uncle said softly. "I'll make sure of it."

"_If awakened, you could hold the power to destroy the Soul Society."_

* * *

**Author's Note:** Hope you liked this chapter! Tell me what you think!  
I know that Kana is starting to sound like a Mary Sue, but she isn't. I promise!  
If you "read between the lines", you'll understand. ;)  
Thanks for reading!


	13. Chapter 10: Intrusion

**Secrets In Her Smile**

_This is the first installment to The Secrets Within series.  
This story is a remake of the story Secrets and Scares._

**Summary: **Rukia wasn't the only one who was taken to the Soul  
Society that night she was found. A student at Karakura High, and  
also a friend of Ichigo's, named Kana was unwillingly taken. Ichigo  
and his friends now must save Rukia from execution and discover  
the secret Kana hides within.

**Warnings: **Violence

**Disclaimer: **I, xX-Star Sapphire-Xx, do not own anything relating to  
BLEACH. This means anything relating to the anime, the manga,  
characters, plot, etc. Tite Kubo owns all rights to BLEACH. I only  
own my original character that I have implanted into Kubo's  
piece of work.

* * *

**Chapter Ten: Intrusion**_  
"Baby you're a wrecking ball, crashing into me."  
_-Carrie Underwood, "Twisted"

Kana hadn't slept in days. The moment she closed her  
eyes, that same face always appeared, the one that sent  
chills down her spine. It would scare her to stay awake. By  
chance she did fall asleep, the same dream sequenced,  
and it never ended well. The Ryoka always caught her,  
no matter what she did. Kana no longer felt safe in her  
dreams or in reality.

She wished her uncle never told her the truth about her.

"_...you could hold the power to destroy the Soul Society."_

How was that even possible? It couldn't be. Kana didn't  
want to believe it. Nothing could destroy the Soul Society.  
It was the Soul Society! Even if it were possible, it would  
create imbalance to the world, destroying the living  
along with the souls of the dead. Maybe her uncle  
meant it psychologically? No matter. It couldn't happen.  
Kana couldn't be this person her uncle thought she was...  
But why else would Head Captain Yamamoto let her stay  
in the Soul Society? Could she really have this power?

"Are you hungry, Miss Aizen?" Kana cringed at the name.  
She wasn't use to the formality. She wasn't royalty. Plus,  
she was still use to "Mitsuya", the alias she used when she  
was in the Living World. It was still hard getting use to the  
fact she was no longer there.

"Please, call me Kana," the blonde told the soul reaper.  
She felt guilty; here she was correcting him when she  
couldn't remember what his name was. Her uncle  
assigned one of his squad members to watch over her.  
The soul reaper was nice. He was quiet (which she liked),  
but awkward when he spoke.

"I'm sorry... Kana." He had a hard time saying her name.  
Kana still hadn't decided if he was really that polite with  
everyone or if he wanted a promotion. "Did you want to  
get something to eat?"

Kana wasn't hungry. She hadn't had an appetite since  
her return. It was worse after the nightmares started. Still,  
she should probably eat. Kana didn't want her uncle to  
be upset with her because she refused to eat anything.

"Yeah."

The soul reaper smiled. "Great! I know of this great place.  
It's my favorite restaurant in all of Soul Society."

Kana stood up and without a word, followed the soul  
reaper. As she walked, she began to wonder what  
restaurants were in the Seireitei. She always had food  
delivered to her by one of her uncle's subordinates, and  
they weren't always that great. She then began to  
wonder if there were any restaurants in the Seireitei. The  
gate leading out was getting bigger and bigger.

"Um, hey. Where is this place?" Kana asked, uneasily. The  
closer they were to the gate, the worse she felt.

"The Rukon District, of course," he replied happily. "You  
don't think the Seireitei has any good restaurants, do  
you?"

"Let's stay in the Seireitei," she said quickly, stopping  
immediately. She would be most vulnerable outside the  
walls without her uncle. She couldn't let her nightmares  
come true. "The food isn't-"

A loud thunder roared overhead, interrupting the  
teenager. Kana looked up, followed by the soul reaper,  
and found something trying to penetrate the barrier of  
the Seireitei. It looked very similar to a cannonball.

Kana could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she  
lost the ability to breathe. Before the soul reaper could  
say anything, Kana ran. Right before her eyes, her  
nightmare came to life. Kana was determined the ending  
of the nightmare won't become a reality. The Ryoka  
won't find her.

She would make sure of it.

**.: - :.**

_Those fools,_ Renji commented as he stared up at the sky.  
Did the Ryoka really think they could get through the  
barrier? They had to be idiots. Even if they did, every soul  
reaper in the Seireitei were aware of them. There was no  
way out for them.

The lieutenant looked over at the Repentance Cell. He  
wondered if Rukia was watching as well. Was she worried  
for them? Was she thinking they would save her? There  
was no way to help her now, and Renji blamed the  
orange-haired kid. If the Ryoka made it through the  
barrier, Renji was going to get his revenge.

"Kana!"

Renji looked away from the white tower.

"Kana! Please come out!"

The red-head found the soul reaper calling out for his  
friend. The lower-ranked soul reaper looked nervous and  
anxious, peeking into different rooms. It was obvious what  
his job was suppose to be. Renji narrowed his eyes at the  
ball in the sky. He knew exactly where she was going. He  
just hoped he found her first. He didn't want to lose  
another friend.

Right then, a loud crack echoed throughout the Seireitei.  
The ball had exploded, separating into four.

_I hope you know what you're getting yourself into...  
__Ichigo Kurosaki__  
_

**.: - :.**

Ichigo couldn't believe it. They got through. Not that he  
doubted that they'd get in, but getting in by getting shot  
through a cannon seemed pretty farfetched. The rest of  
the group, even the fireworks expert's brother Ganju,  
seemed just as shocked as Ichigo that they made it  
through. There was only one problem...

"What's going on?" Ichigo questioned. The group was just  
floating in the air. What were they suppose to do now?  
"We blasted through the shield, but we're not falling to  
the ground. We're just floating here!" It was safe to say,  
Ichigo was a little irritated.

"Don't get separated!" Yoruichi shouted out. "The  
cannonball was destroyed by the shield but it's residual  
energy will still hold us up until it dissolves."

"And what happens then?" Uryu questioned. It sounded  
like he already knew the answer.

"It will collect us into a whirlpool then explode and vanish,"  
Yoruichi explained. "We must stick together. If anyone of  
us gets separated will be blown away by the explosion."

Ichigo wished there was a shorter answer. There was not  
much time to react. Just as the cat was finished talking,  
the whirlpool was sucking the group in. Ichigo looked  
around for the closest person to grab onto. When he  
turned around, he saw the flailing Ganju coming towards  
him.

"What? Don't touch me!" Ichigo argued and tried to push  
him away. The two weren't on good terms already. The  
substitute soul reaper definitely didn't want the guy to  
hang all over him. Ganju could get blown away for all he  
cared.

"This is no time for fighting you two," Yoruichi scolded as  
he jumped onto Ichigo's shoulder.

Ichigo begrudgingly agreed, then noticed his friends were  
in trouble. Uryu was being sucked deeper into the whirl-  
pool. Chad, who was holding onto Orihime, let go of her  
and pushed himself towards Uryu.

_What the hell is he doing?!_ Ichigo thought just as Chad  
gripped onto Uryu and threw him towards Orihime. The girl  
caught his shoulders successfully.

"What are you doing?" Orihime screamed, knowing there  
was no time to grab Chad for he was too far away.

"You'll be blown away!" Ichigo yelled. He didn't want to  
be separated from anyone. If Chad was blown away,  
how could he survive? Ichigo wouldn't be able to protect  
him. What if Chad was killed? Ichigo wouldn't be able to  
forgive himself.

"I can guarantee Chad will survive," Yoruichi assured  
Ichigo. It still didn't make Ichigo feel any less uneasy. "If  
you want to reunite with him on the surface, I'd worry  
about your own safety first."

Ichigo reluctantly agreed once more and tried to reach  
Orihime. She was doing the same. No matter how far they  
reached, they didn't seem to be moving any closer to  
each other. Ichigo had to grab her hand, though. He  
already knew Chad was going to be on his own. He didn't  
want Orihime and Uryu to get blown away either.

A bright white light covered their vision, and an unseen  
force pulled Ichigo away. Not even a split second later,  
he was flying through the air at full speed. His heart raced  
in his chest and held onto the person closest to him. That  
person did the same. For a moment, Ichigo thought for  
sure he was going to splatter on the ground. The next  
moment, he landed a soft, grainy substance.

_Sand?_

Ichigo reached the surface and began coughing. It was  
like he was standing in a sandbox. The ground where  
he landed on had turned into sand. He heard someone  
next to him and noticed Ganju was coughing beside him.  
Why did he have to be stuck with this guy?

"Why did you do that?!" Ichigo yelled at Ganju as he  
kicked the pig in the back. The teen couldn't help but yell  
at the guy, even after saving his life. Ichigo wasn't going  
to let Ganju he was thankful.

"What do you mean 'why'?!" Ganju recovered and  
grabbed Ichigo buy his uniform. He looked pretty mad,  
but that didn't make the soul reaper feel any guilt. "We  
would have been killed if I didn't!"

"You could have thought of something different!" Ichigo  
argued. Landing in sand didn't feel all that much better.  
Besides, he could still feel grains of sand in the back of  
this throat.

"No, I-" Their argument was interrupted by a new presence.

At the rim of the sandpit, two soul reapers stood there.  
One was completely bald with his zanpakuto resting on  
his shoulder. The other was a pretty man with strange  
feather accessories on his eyes.

"Looks like today's my lucky day."

The bald one had a large grin on his face as he spoke.  
Ganju argued that these two had really high spiritual  
pressure, but Ichigo didn't care. He could take them. The  
smile on the bald one's face said Ichigo and Ganju  
weren't leaving without a fight.

Ichigo gave the soul reaper a hard stare.

_Bring it on._

* * *

**Author's Note:** Sorry this chapter is kind of short, but it's  
finally getting to the good part! I know I had it kind of at  
a slow start, but it'll be faster pace now. :)

By the way, if you don't get the quote, I wouldn't blame you.  
I had a hard time finding one but I was listening to this s  
ong and when I heard "wrecking ball", I thought of the  
cannonball. The song is originally a love story, but since the one  
Kana likes is inside the cannonball, it kind of makes sense...  
Right? Anyway...

Thanks for the reviews!  
And thanks for reading!  
Review/Recommend/Share


End file.
